Our Celebration of a Sad Occasion...Oct 2016 PTR

[oopsiDAISY]

Guess what we did Saturday night!!!!!


We had a Disney countdown acitivty....


Not just ANY countdown activity....


We had a MOVIE NIGHT!!!!

For this one we went UP!





This has to be on my list of favorite movie nights ever! We had all but the actual watching of the movie outside! The weather was gorgeous, perfect for earning some merit badges!

First badge to earn was marksmanship. We all took turns shooting a couple of Gabe's bb guns at a target.











Here is the results of our not-so-stellar efforts:



Next we had a team event~ "rope" coiling:







Yes, it was our garden hose. I think it was at this point that Jillian said "oh, I see...you are just using this movie night activity as an excuse to get us to do some of your outside chores." Smartie pants! My reply? "And for our next event we will be weedwacking!" That was not met with much enthusiasm, so instead we played horseshoes next:











Our last merit badge opportunity was making fire...well, lighting a bonfire.









And here is Gabe modeling all four badges:



For dinner we had Grape Soda.... you know...because of the grape soda pin in the movie:



And we roasted hot dogs and made smores:





After dinner, we headed into the house to shower and watch the movie. Our lives are SO BUSY these days, and it was wonderful just to relax and have some fun with the family on a beautfiul Satruday night.

 

[disny_luvr]

That is a great story about Charity and she looked absolutely beautiful. I teach in a middle school and last year the 8th grade dance was formal. Seriously, you would have thought it was the prom. The kids all looked great and had a fun time but I think it is a little overkill for 8th grade.

Your movie night looked like so much fun! Maybe one of these days I'll have to give movie night a try.

 

[Along4theRide]

Loving the PTR so far and can't wait to hear more about your planning...both trips! Lucky duck! The themed movie night are something we've thought about doing for a while, we would just need to nail down a time we're all going to be home! Love all the games and bonfire for UP! That sounds perfect!

 

[Chicago Mo]

So far we do not have enough students for the class. Many of our students are here on some sort of scholarship, and scholarships do not cover summer classes. :-(

This is sad... Really really sad..

SHE offered to do Charity's hair and make-up for free. Charity found a dress she liked, we applied a few safety pin seams to it, and it worked wonderfully for her. She found some shoes in my closet and some jewelry I had, too. Behold, Charity's 100% FREE 8th grade formal look:

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOODNESS!

And walking the red carpet for the 8th grade walk:

Holy macaroni!
You have some BEAUTIFUL children Connie.. She is so beautiful and the dress is gorgeous!

At some point, we are left to just see if what we did as parents will "work". Moments like this Friday night proved that parenting is hard....but there IS reward!

Tears... I have tears...

Here is the results of our not-so-stellar efforts:

remind me not to come to you when the zombie apocalypse is here

We had a MOVIE NIGHT!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

And for our next event we will be weedwacking!" That was not met with much enthusiasm, so instead we played horseshoes next:

DYING!!!

Our last merit badge opportunity was making fire...well, lighting a bonfire.

This is your yard...
I am coming over..
Sleep right there in the chair.

And we roasted hot dogs and made smores:

again..
I am coming and now bringing the family there are 5 chairs there...

Our lives are SO BUSY these days, and it was wonderful just to relax and have some fun with the family on a beautfiul Satruday night.

Isn't it the truth.. When you are THIS busy to have a day to romp and play makes them that much more fantastic...

 

[Pluto0809]

Playing catch up......

I went to Math class and found out I made my highest test grade yet for that class this semester:

Congrats!

.right up until the time I left and found THIS in the parking lot:

Ugh! Car problems suck.

Know what Mickey fruit and cheese is?

I did not but now I do and that looks yummy!

I got all the ADR's we wanted today!!!!!

Can't wait to hear what all you chose this time.

some homemade chocolate milkshakes

Drooling right now.

I have scanned some of our favorite photos of Disney trips past for you.

Loved, loved, loved seeing all these photos! I only have a small handful from my childhood trips. Pictures just weren't done back then as much. I need to find those so I can get them scanned.

Behold, Charity's 100% FREE 8th grade formal look:

Beautiful! How in the world did she grow up so fast?

For this one we went UP!

Sounds like a wonderful night and the menu was right up my alley!

 

[AnnaKat]

How did this trip come about, and what is up with the Title???

Shortly after we got home from our October 2014 cruise, Brian and I started saving for a 20th Anniversary trip to WDW…just the two of us. We were going to go in October 2016 to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival. Just to put some photos in this post, here is a snapshot of Brian and I on our way out the door for a date night during our Oct 2013 off sight trip:



We also knew that we would be taking another Disney trip of some sort in the Spring or Summer of 2017. For several years now, we have told Jillian that SHE could choose our Disney vacation, parks or cruise, for her senior year in high school.

Fast forward to this past summer. Brian and I had managed to save close to $2000 for our anniversary trip, and we still had over a year to keep saving. It was going to be a great one. I wanted us to fly, stay in a deluxe…it was going to be EPIC.

Well, then our Pastor announced that our church would be offering the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class, and he wanted the church leaders to take the class….Brian and I are church leaders. Short version is this: we took the class, felt convicted, decided to get out of debt, cancelled our anniversary trip to use that saved money to begin the debt pay-off. I was crushed. It was such a HARD decision to make. We knew it was the RIGHT decision for our family, but BOY was it HARD!!

Since that time, we have been faithfully chipping away at the mountain of debt we have (two car loans, student loans, one major credit card, one small credit card). We have managed to pay off the small credit card. My car will be paid off in January, and our goal is to pay off his car in six months after that. We were also able to get new tires on my car and buy Jillian’s car…all with cash. We have been committed to this, and we are doing it.

Fast forward again, to last month. It was time to start talking about Jillian’s senior year vacation. We wanted to plan it out, price it out, and be able to budget for it way in advance. She had several options to choose from: Disney Cruise, Disney Land and Sea trip, Disney Parks. We talked and she asked if there would be any way to throw in a day at Universal to see Wizarding World. Back to the pricing drawing board…Yes, it is possible. So that is what she chose. And the completely ironic part of this? We are going in October 2016…during Food and Wine… exactly when we would have had our Anniversary trip that we decided to cancel. We feel like this is our reward for doing what we felt was right, and staying committed to it.

So, what sad occasion will we be celebrating? Jillian’s senior year of high school, the impending doom of her graduation, and quite possibly her last family vacation with us for a while.

Congrats on the successful completion of the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course!! Sounds like your family is off to an amazing start: paying off a small credit card, & on the way to paying off both of your car loans!!
Oh, and how awesome to pay CASH for your daughter's car

 

[AnnaKat]

Like I said in the opener, many things have changed in our family since our cruise. I thought I would use this next post to give some updates for those of you who have been hanging around the oopsiFAMILY on the Disboards for a while.

Our most exciting change was THIS happening:



Brian FINALLY graduated from college!!! Many of you know PART of the story, but may not know that this was an EIGHT YEAR journey for us. Brian had started his college career in 2007. But, we had some life altering things that happened on our family, and he left off in 2009. I ended up leaving the job I had worked for seven years to begin working at the University where I am currently employed. After about three years here, we decided our family was ready for him to pick up again with his college program. Needless to say, his graduation was something we all felt we played a HUGE part in. Two months after getting that degree, after twenty years in the aviation industry, Brian got a new job. The company he works for has a very extensive training process, and he is still in it. BUT, he loves his job so far, he loves the company…and the pay is already exponentially better, and he does not even have his own client list yet. We are blessed!

Another big change for our family came this past September. Jillian turned 16. This meant she not only got her first job and first paycheck, but also this:



Her first car. That week in September was a SAD, SAD week for this Mama. As we sat down to our first family dinner after she got her job, I just about had a meltdown at the table…the table with only four of us sitting there to eat. It dawned on me that life was not ever going to be the same from that point on.

The last big change for our family starts this January. Now that Brian has his degree, it is time for this to happen:



That is MY college acceptance letter. It has taken a very long time, and a very long process to bring me to this place in my life. I had a boss that I hoped to work for until forever. However, he was promoted to University President this past summer. He always gives an illustration that I love when he is talking to prospective students. When you go to the fair (or Disney) there is a sign beside the rides. The sign says “You must be This Tall to ride the Ride.” He talks about how the job market in today’s world is much like that…you must have a college degree to ride many of the really good employment rides. Well, I am here to tell you…I want to advance in my position at the University, so I am doing what it takes to be tall enough. This will be so hard for me. It has been a LONG time since I have been in school, and even then…I hated it. But, there you have it. I am just going to do it. And I am sure you all will get to hear about the journey as I take it.

Enough about non-Disny, real life stuff... from this day forth, there will be much fun and planning to discuss!

Congrats on Brian's College Graduation, on your College Acceptance, & on your Daughter's 1st job,
& on that beauty of a car that you were able to purchase with CASH
Congrats!!

 

[johnaalexis]

I'm hooked! Cant wait to read you Trip Report!!!

 

[Raeven]

I'm late but joining in! You have a beautiful family and 2 Disney trips in a year is the best! We're doing 2 trips this year too. I wish I got paid for going to Disney but at least right now at work we're watching Up.

 

[DekrRini]

I just wanted to say congrats on following Financial Peace University. By following the plan, I got out of debt a few years ago after about 40 years in debt bondage. Talk about feeling free! Nothing feels better than going to WDW two times a year and not having the trips follow me home. So keep up the good work, it only gets better.

 

[cajunfan]

Can't wait to read your next article!