2014 - The best is Yet to Come - planning for the Anniversary Trip

[sewmess]

I waffled over where to start this thread because I know I'll end up telling tales and posting pictures of our various earlier trips and possibly end up telling our last trip in it's entirety.

BUT - I decided to officially claim this as a PRE-trip planner because I need something to a) motivate me to save/earn for this trip and b) something to look forward to because, aside from notable exceptions, 2013 has been the Year of Suck. At least from July on.

I'll probably do official introductions in a later post as I am currently supposed to be doing something else. Like work. But for now I'll introduce the two main players in this drama: me and DH

Me: AKA Sewmess (here and nearly everywhere else on the internet) AKA Ruth. If the plans go as, well, planned - I will either be turning 40 on a 2014 trip or have just turned 40. I'm trying to ignore that. I have been front line management for over 15 years in two different companies and apparently I'm good at it. I am a chunky girl who really needs to lose about 50+ pounds (another thing I hope to motivate myself for) but I really love seated/sedentary hobbies like reading and sewing.

DH: AKA Cale. He doesn't have a presence on the internet except through me. He will be 45 just after a 2014 trip and just seems to be getting better with age - except for his knee. He's the person that instigated the whole Disney thing. He lived in and around Orange Co California so he grew up going to Disney Land All. The. Time. By inclination and training he's an artist, but he earns by being a client service representative at a national laboratory company. He's also an extrovert and can sometimes be perpetually "on"

I'll get some pictures up and maybe do a full Favorites list soon.

 

[sewmess]

Our Little Family

YotS: Why we went to Disney This Year

Maybe Not the YotS part 2 after all!!

Ruth and Cale's Snowy Adventure

A Real Planning Post!

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[sewmess]

Following along!

Glad to have you!

 

[DMGeurts]

Yay!!! I am here too!!! Can't wait to read more about all of your trips!

D~

 

[cogero]

I am joining in.

 

[sewmess]

Yay!!! I am here too!!! Can't wait to read more about all of your trips!

D~

I am joining in.

Hi Y'all

Bear with me (Pooh - Country - Briar - Queen Elenore, you pick which) I am trying very hard not to update at work as I have a very time consuming but BOOOORRRRRIIIINNNGG project I should be working on.

And I need to get pictures in a state to show. I suspect people would like to have some idea of what we look like.

 

[sewmess]

​

Specifically Me & Cale. This was this year as we were headed across to Morocco to have "Schwarma" for the very first time. All because of something we saw on the internet and a movie. We are what the kids these days are calling "Meta" ...we just used to call it weird with an uncanny ability to have a movie quote for any and all situations.

Ruth's Favorite Disney Movie: Tangled is up there, but I really enjoy most of the "lesser" or at least lesser known animated films like Treasure Planet, Atlantis and any of the films with a character voiced by Phil Harris.

Cale's Favorite Disney Movie: "The beauty of the animation" of Tarzan touched him to his core and Tangled is the "Perfect symbiosis of what Disney does best." (He's an artist, remember, and this is how he talks about movies.)

Ruth's Favorite Disney Movie: Cars. Mater and Frank and the tractors. Makes me laugh every single time.

Cale's Favorite Pixar Movie: Incredibles, family is very important to him. (He's also a comic book fan)

Here's the rest of our household:

​

His name is T, AKA T Dog, T Bone, Messieurs Le Pill, Teeter. He's a sweetie with at least English Shepherd and basically looks like a scaled down Newfoundland. His early years weren't as good as maybe should have been and it took him a while after we got him home to remember how to dog.

T's Favorite Disney Movie: "Anything that can get my people in one room. I need to know where they are when they are home and if they are in separate rooms I get worried."

T's Favorite Pixar Movie: "See above."

I actually suspect if T could tell you, he'd not like Disney at all because the past few years our trips are when he usually gets his annual check up while he's at Doggy Day Camp (boarding at the vet's) He likes the attention, but not the bath that goes with it.

Other occasional players might include Cale's parents, My Mom, my sister and brother-in-law, Cale's sister and family, my niece, and our friends the Lancasters. All of whom have gone to Disney with us at least once.

So, more information about us and actual pictures! I'll put this in the "good Start" column.

 

[DMGeurts]

This was so cool meeting you and Cale - I am not sure if I have ever seen a photo of Cale before? I must have - but I am not sure?

And T is so cute!!! What good doggie parents you are... I always feel so badly for mistreated animals - but how wonderful that you rescued him and he can now enjoy being a dog... there is no better gift than that of a family (for dogs and for humans).

I had to LOL at your description of Cale's decription of the Disney movies (did ya get that?) - LOL... Sounds like something Josh would say when talking computers.

Great intro!

D~

 

[sewmess]

This was so cool meeting you and Cale - I am not sure if I have ever seen a photo of Cale before? I must have - but I am not sure?

And T is so cute!!! What good doggie parents you are... I always feel so badly for mistreated animals - but how wonderful that you rescued him and he can now enjoy being a dog... there is no better gift than that of a family (for dogs and for humans).

I had to LOL at your description of Cale's decription of the Disney movies (did ya get that?) - LOL... Sounds like something Josh would say when talking computers.

Great intro!

D~

Thanks! You might have seen Cale on Ruthie's trip report.
T is a big slobbery sweetie most of the time. He was more neglected than seriously abused, so there really haven't been any behavior issues. He was tied up and so had to be leash trained (not difficult) and remember how to do dog things, like chase squirrels.

We're an odd couple, that's for sure! While we both have arts backgrounds (performing arts for me, graphic for him) he definitely has more of the arts sensitivity. I can see symbolism, but generally don't care, whereas he loves it when something is full of symbolism.


Nothing new to add at this time except, CALE IS BACK TO WORK!! After three weeks off for knee surgery, we are all ready for him to get back on a normal schedule. It means I have to start cooking again, but that's a small price to pay for a paycheck & giving him a focus.

Sewing wise, I've got a million things to do and zero motivation. I've got to kick myself in the rear and start making. Christmas is less than two months away!!!

Trip Wise: always simmering. I'm kind of superstitious (apparently one of the things that stuck from my stage acting days) and planning on spending large quantities of money when DH is off work just seemed to be asking for trouble. Now though....

When I get back to the computer with the pictures, I'll see what I can dig up from past trips that might nudge me to work on this trip!

 

[cogero]

loved reading more about you.

I hear you on a zillion ideas and no motivation

I am tryiing to make realistic goals each day.

 

[sewmess]

loved reading more about you.

I hear you on a zillion ideas and no motivation

I am tryiing to make realistic goals each day.

Me too with the realistic goals: but more on that to come. I have ambitious, but obtainable, plans for November.

 

[sewmess]

Originally we were going to skip a trip to WDW this year, in order to plan and save for a big fancy trip October 2014, our 10th wedding anniversary. But then 2013 turned into the Year of the Suck (sorry for the slightly potty mouth. I'll call it YotS from now on)

January started with my mom recovering from breaking her back in December.

February and March were yucky, but just the yuck we had become accustomed to: Cale's work environment was getting more and more toxic with company changes that lead to a lot of leadership leaving.

April is when we got the FD offer and I thought we could use something to look forward to. So I reserved for September, our usual time. It is also when everything came to a head at work for Cale and he finally put his notice in after long, tough, discussions and decisions about what he would do. I realized that it had passes the usual work yuck when Cale's dad (who is usually about as empathetic as a table) told Cale that the job was going to make him sick.

May brought the moving into our what would be our new normal for a while. I worked, as my job ramps up for the summer, and Cale worked for his dad. He mostly just helped his mom clear out their house and got a better idea of how they were getting on.

June was much the same. Cale helped his parents and his brother who was going through a difficult separation/divorce (we never knew exactly what the status was.) Then July ramped up 2013 from a plain old difficult year to the YotS.

July is when Cale decided that he could not work for his dad. While some of his family are attracted to a more gypsy lifestyle; moving around, make piece jobs, etc - he was not. The money situation was stressing me out (my baggage) and he knew that his job basically would be waiting for him, so he started that ball rolling. Sometime in here he hurt his knee but didn't get a diagnosis until right before returning to work in August. He had a torn meniscus and would need surgery. Because of the trip to Disney, the doctor suggested waiting until after vacation because as he put it "It's the pain you know rather than the unknown pain after the surgery."

July is also when his family was changed forever when his brother going through the seperation attempted suicide that eventually did lead to his death. Because he was still married, the doctors legally had to go with the wife's decisions and she produced a living will (from 1998) stating that he did not want life support. The wife's actions had always been questionable as she often produced, or mentioned things that the rest of the family (and it's a close family) never knew about. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. I don't do hospitals well at all so I felt less then helpful, but Cale had come to a place of acceptance fairly early in the who process. He ended up being the rock for his mom and sister.

August is when Cale's brother finally passed on. And the wife declared that there would be no funeral or memorial service, so the family set up a memorial service where Cale did the eulogy. (Later we found out that she was soliciting for fund from her church to take the ashes out to California. Admittedly Cale's brother was the poster child for 1970s surfer dude, but the whole thing smells of her getting a free trip to CA. We just hope she'll take her daughter to DL, but we'd be surprised.)

To make the YotS even better, my work became much more stressful. I don't want to be mysterious, there is prosecution going on so I can't get into details. What I will say is this issue is still dominating my time at work, although ultimately it's been a good thing for the organization.
Somewhere in the middle of the summer, my mom slipped and broke her knee cap. So there was that going on as well. I know she was either in rehab or just gotten home when we had the memorial service.

So September started rough, but we did have a trip to Disney at the end of the month, so there was that. And that trip was earned. Off and on during the summer with money stress and other things, we debated cancelling. Often. But ultimately we had enough savings to make it work.

But we still plan on going in 2014, but we may downsize from our original grand plans. Which I will get into next time. And either more pictures or something to make it less talky.

 

[DMGeurts]

Awww Ruth... Yes - this truly was the YotS for you all... Stressor after stressor.

I am thankful you had a Disney trip in there to keep your spirits up - even though it may have been a financial burden at times, I am sure - in the long run - it was worth every moment.

I am glad that Cale is back to work now...

(((Hugs)))

D~

 

[Luvchefmic]

WOW Ruth ....you nailed it Y O T S for so many people, it was a real beaut wasn't it ? ... but its all okay and will be I believe that and besides the year is almost over fresh start like a clean slate and then this will all be history


Glad Cale is back to work sending hugs ^ prayers for whatever you're dealing with at your job

I LOVE T-Bone what a handsome boy he is, very regal looking, very Newfie

I just saw a new book at the Writers Stop at DHS sounds like it would be right up Cales' alley, will have to check the actual name but something like the Making of Tangled flipping through the pages looks like it breaks down the movie character by character personality how they were drawn etc I put it down but it definitely went on my Christmas list of things to show/ and hint to Fred when he gets home

Happy you started this PTR and when you are making more definitive plans we will have to do the re-meet better with time & what we'll do together

 

[sewmess]

Awww Ruth... Yes - this truly was the YotS for you all... Stressor after stressor.

I am thankful you had a Disney trip in there to keep your spirits up - even though it may have been a financial burden at times, I am sure - in the long run - it was worth every moment.

I am glad that Cale is back to work now...

(((Hugs)))

D~

Yeah, that Disney trip really helped us make it through some times, just knowing we were going to get away sailed us through some choppy waters.

WOW Ruth ....you nailed it Y O T S for so many people, it was a real beaut wasn't it ? ... but its all okay and will be I believe that and besides the year is almost over fresh start like a clean slate and then this will all be history


Glad Cale is back to work sending hugs ^ prayers for whatever you're dealing with at your job

I LOVE T-Bone what a handsome boy he is, very regal looking, very Newfie

I just saw a new book at the Writers Stop at DHS sounds like it would be right up Cales' alley, will have to check the actual name but something like the Making of Tangled flipping through the pages looks like it breaks down the movie character by character personality how they were drawn etc I put it down but it definitely went on my Christmas list of things to show/ and hint to Fred when he gets home

Happy you started this PTR and when you are making more definitive plans we will have to do the re-meet better with time & what we'll do together

Newfie looks he has, but because of some trauma (we think there was a little girl who would climb INTO his dog house with him) he does not like kids. He's not mean or aggressive, just runs away or looks at them very hard.

LOL the book does sound righ up his alley - Cale has an extensive collection of Disney imagineering (and other) books. He referenced the "Disney Animals" book the other day to help him remember Prince Phillip's horse's name.

And absolutely we need a remeet. And since we went through the "getting to know you" phase this year, it's going to be all the more fun!! Although Cale will still ask a ton of questions about logistics.


So I have set a goal for this November to do some tangible crafting everyday. Cutting, sewing, prepping materials, etc. It didn't happen last night because T and I found a stray kitten on our walk.

Actually, the kitten went on the walk with us, even though it hissed, spit, growled, etc at any dogs. And T would just dart away when it got all puffed up and spitty. Kind of funny, considering the kitten fits in my hand. Admittedly, I have large hands, but it's a little kitty.

I took it in and cleaned it up and discovered a sizable wound on one front leg. Stupid me then took this hurt, traumatized (I cleaned it up) kitty where the dog was and it got all spitty and scratchy and got me. Nothing major and I'm watching it carefully after cleaning it VERY thoroughly.

Cale had actually mentioned at some time this year that having another cat might not be a bad idea, so we may be keeping the little spitter if T and he(?) can learn to get along. If not, my MIL was interested and the niece at college too.

We dropped him (for the sake of ease I'm calling it him because we couldn't figure out male or female) at the vet this morning and Cale will update me when he gets updated.

Trip planning I, for a lark, decided to check out Disneyland Paris. After being completely confused because I was actually on the UK version of the site, I got it to US version. I know that should we suddenly become millionaires, we will have to go to all the various versions - or at least DLP because of the Haunted Manor and Tokyo Seas because of the Steam Punk Journey to the center of the earth ride thing.

The upside to going to the extremes first means that I tend to look at ideal trips and then pare them down. So I'm dreaming now, but ultimately I'll be back to earth.

 

[DMGeurts]

Sorry I missed your update Ruth...

How is the kitten doing now? Is it a he or a she? Is he/she staying?

LOL - I love planning dream trips too - it's so much fun!

D~

 

[sewmess]

Annnnnd I'm back. See this is why my trip reports never seem to work. I need to set a schedule and stick with it!!!

Kitten update: she's a she, and she's been named Adora Belle. Oh, and she is staying.

A little background on the name: I mentioned that Cale and I are what is usually referred to as "Meta" or "Geek" or "Nerd" and read/watch a lot of fantasy and science fiction. One of my favorite writers is a British author names Terry Pratchett. He has created a fabulous satirical fantasy world and written about a thousand books about it. (not really - I tend to exaggerate) One of the characters in this fantasy world is named "Adora Belle Dearheart." Her nickname is Spike and she wears stiletto heels as a defense weapon. Cale thought it would be fitting for our little kitty when, at the vet's office, they commented that she was a little feisty. And she is.

Currently, having gotten over the majority of her injuries, she is terrorizing Cale and I every time we sit down. She love to play right at our feet and usually ends up playing WITH the feet. She's still too little for claw caps and I refuse to have her disfigured by declawing. She swats at T and is starting to try and play with his tail. He has gotten used to her enough to ignore her most of the time - although there is one string type toy that they both play with and will steal from each other.

Crafting wise: nothing to report except that if I don't buckle down and do something - at this point ANYTHING - I'm going to spend too much money on Christmas.

And ultimately: Disney Planning (the whole reason we're here)
Cale's Birthday was last week and his BFF's was the week before. So we've seen a lot of his friends this week. I was helping in the kitchen one of these times and heard Cale start talking about Disney and his plans to try and get the ol' Bachelor Herd back together for a 20th anniversary trip.
I didn't get to hear what the opinions were, but at least he's talking to them about it.
For me, I am being inspired by DMGeurtz and her quest to get in shape. I have a lot longer way to go than she does, but I've got to start taking at least little steps.
My first little steps will be: re initiate the 10 minutes in the morning routines which include everything from cardio to weight training and eat more salads.

 

[DMGeurts]

Yay! I am glad the little kitty is staying - she couldn't have asked for better parents! And I love the name, even though I am not familliar with the author or the books - the name seems fitting by your description.

LOL about Cale getting the bachelor heard back together! That would be an interesting trip to plan for sure!

I am glad to hear I've inspired you... I certainly don't feel very inspiring - LOL - but I love to hear that you have a plan for a healthier you, and it sounds like a great one and a very doable one! Congratulations! I hope that we are able to spur eachother on!

D~

 

[sewmess]

Yay! I am glad the little kitty is staying - she couldn't have asked for better parents! And I love the name, even though I am not familliar with the author or the books - the name seems fitting by your description.

LOL about Cale getting the bachelor heard back together! That would be an interesting trip to plan for sure!

I am glad to hear I've inspired you... I certainly don't feel very inspiring - LOL - but I love to hear that you have a plan for a healthier you, and it sounds like a great one and a very doable one! Congratulations! I hope that we are able to spur eachother on!

D~

Very interesting as most of the herd is now married, one member is divorced with 2 kids, and the final member is more than a little flakey, but very lovable.

I'm actually starting the 10 minute program Monday but I'm still stretching and doing a little something each morning anyway. Thanks for the encouragement!!