"So this is what makes life divine!"PTR Jan 2010* NEW 1/17 TR Link UP!!!

[BippityBoo]

WELCOME to my PTR...

"So this is what makes life divine!"

If you have been followig my TR "Practically Perfect in Every Way" then welcome back

If not, here is the link to the TR

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2221892

Here is the copy and pasted version of our cast from my TR:


Me/Katie(28)- Loving wife and mother! Cinderella is my very favorite character. OCD is really an understatement when it comes to me! That is one reason I am on DIS now is because you guys are the only ones who understand my obsession with all things Disney! Planning for the trip is equally as fun for me than actually going I am also a southern girl, so you will be seeing lots of "ya'lls" in my reports. I am a SAHM and a student getting my Teaching Certification in English and Social Studies with a minor in Creative Writing (high school level). I plan on finishing in Dec 2010 with a special Christmas Disney Trip to celebrate, OF COURSE!

DH/Chris(29)-Such a loving husband and Dad. I could not ask for a better soul mate! Get this ladies...he actually enjoys to cook, does the dishes and cleans on a regular basis without being asked, and gets up early with the baby so I can sleep in! He is truly my prince charming. Chris looks for any opportunity to have a good time and be with family and friends. He is a Real Estate Broker and Appraiser and loves Disney too! We both feel very lucky to have WDW to share with our kids and grandkids (one day) Oh and sorry any Bama, Ole Miss or Florida fans...GEAUX TIGERS! We bleed purple and gold!

DD/Abby(6)-Our resident princess in training. She is truly the light of our life. She loves to dance and has been in lessons since the age of 2! She also plays piano, scrapbooks, reads beautifully and really enjoys life. Her favorite character is Ariel, but I think it is really hard for her to pick a favorite! She is a wonderful daughter and big sister.

DS/Aiden(1.5)-Wow! What a little character Aiden is! He was very young during our trip (11 months) but is now a VERY active and vibrant toddler. His favorite character is "Lightning". He loves any movie, any song, really any opportunity to party and dance We can not wait to see what fun times he will bring in the future to our family!


We are so excited to announce that we are going back to WDW!

When? Jan 6th-10th, 2010!

Why? We realize that this trip is a much shorter version of the one we had taken before! Our main goals are to ride the rides that we missed last time (Pirates, Splash Mountain, Soarin', etc.) and to finally spend quality time with our immediate family. Stay tuned following this trip for our Dec 2010 TRIP OF A LIFETIME---WDW and CRUISE--a Graduation Celebration

My sister in law is getting married on January 2nd Of course, we are all in the wedding and really excited! With Christmas, New Years and the wedding, of course we will be super busy! So...why not throw a Disney Vacation in the mix

With the rates being very low in January, cool Florida weather, me not being in school until the end of January and all of these awesome deals Disney keeps throwing out...we are taking advantage!

I am worried that we are not able to utilize the free dining or the 35% off that Disney is offering in the Fall...what great deals However, I am confident that the deals for the Spring will be equally impressive...hopefully

I realize that this post is getting longer than I wanted it to be ( I can't help it---so much to say!) Hope you are all on board!

Up Next: Let's go shopping! A sneak peak at our attire and accessories for the trip! Also, find out which Resort makes the final cut!

 

[emcreative]

Hopping in again, can't wait to "share" the planning

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Hey Katie,

I'm in on this one too. Anxious to see how your little ones have grown.

Ginny

 

[BellaSoleil]

Katie, we are going to be there at the same time!!!! I sure hope we bump into eachother.

 

[BellaSoleil]

BTW- There is usually a great deal in January. When I booked my trip the CM almost assured me of it. Last Jan. we got the 4/3 deal and a $200 gift card.

 

[BippityBoo]

Hopping in again, can't wait to "share" the planning

Yay! So happy you are on board

 

[BippityBoo]

Hey Katie,

I'm in on this one too. Anxious to see how your little ones have grown.

Ginny

I knew you would be in The kids are really excited and they HAVE grown a lot!

 

[BippityBoo]

BTW- There is usually a great deal in January. When I booked my trip the CM almost assured me of it. Last Jan. we got the 4/3 deal and a $200 gift card.

Hello!! That would be AWESOME to get the 4/3 deal! We would have to stay the extra 3 days for sure!! And the $200 gift card would be great! I told my DH that January is probably the best time b/c they are trying to fill the rooms after the holidays. I am going to post tonight about where we are staying...where are ya'll staying? What dates are ya'll going to be there?

This is exciting---hope to see you there Also, I see we picked similar tickers--haha too funny Great minds think alike!

 

[BellaSoleil]

We will be there the 2nd-9th and will be staying at Wilderness Lodge again. Unless the code is rock-my-socks amazing and we might upgrade to Poly.

 

[beyondblessed]

Yea Katie!!! I'm so excited for you and I can not wait to read all about it! I'm definitely on board!!!

 

[Poohgirl521]

Hi Katie! I am joining in on this one too. SO excited for you that you are going again, and in just a few months! Can't wait to hear where you are staying!

 

[BippityBoo]

Yea Katie!!! I'm so excited for you and I can not wait to read all about it! I'm definitely on board!!!

Thank you!! We are so thrilled! Can't stay away for long

 

[BippityBoo]

Hi Katie! I am joining in on this one too. SO excited for you that you are going again, and in just a few months! Can't wait to hear where you are staying!

Thanks for joining! I know what you mean! When I just made the ticker...I nearly freaked out when I saw it's only 4 months away! I need to hurry..sooo much planning to do

 

[BippityBoo]

HI again! After making my trip ticker, I nearly fell out of my seat when I realized that we are only 4 months away! Can you believe we are so close to 2010

Ok...let's get down to business...

WHERE ARE WE STAYING?

My DH and I had concluded that we could get more for our money at a Moderate Resort. As I had stated before, this trip will be a very short one (unless there is a great 4/3 deal) and the general purpose is to hit up Magic Kingdom and EPCOT to ride all of the things we were unable to last trip. Also, we are planning a quite expensive trip to Poly and a Cruise in Dec of the same year, so we need not blow the budget now!

So, after much time figuring out vacation packages online, we had settled on Port Orleans-Riverside!

I have to say that I was sooo spoiled on the monorail, so I was kind of frightened about the bus system. BUT, overall, we were really excited until...

I ran a vacation package under Wilderness Lodge

The difference was only $200 for a Standard Room. Now..how to break it to my hubby.

Well, after a bottle of wine and a kid free dinner at Olive Garden (yum!) He said "yes!" (of course!)



So...Wilderness Lodge it is!

Lets hope that Disney offers something great so we can keep these plans! I am so excited and have heard great things about the WL! I know the kids will LOVE it! We plan on going to Magic Kingdom twice this trip, so the boat ride to MK will help out alot!

I really want a bunk bed room, but I see those do not come with Standard View rooms Let's all hope for some pixie dust and an upgrade The bunk would be great for the kids...they would sleep so much better than if they were in the same bed! My plan B is to get a crib brought in if we have to utilize two queen beds.

Also, we decided to help keep cost down, we would get Quick Service Dining!More on that in a later post...

Cont next post...

 

[BippityBoo]

We will be there the 2nd-9th and will be staying at Wilderness Lodge again. Unless the code is rock-my-socks amazing and we might upgrade to Poly.

You won't believe where we are staying (haha--read on!)

 

[BippityBoo]

Many of you have written me about my kid's Disney attire! I LOVE to plan what they are going to wear. It is really a fun hobby of mine that I carry through even to our everyday life

When discussing the trip with my DH last week, we had already decided on the WL and Quick Service, so we were discussing the details. THEN HE SAID IT...

DH: "Well, considering this is a short trip, we also don't have to worry about getting the kid's matching outfits or anything."
ME:

WHAT!!?? Yea, ok!

Not to fear, I have used my friend again and have managed to come up with reversable combos that will be utilized on multiple days...oh, who am I kidding. I am sure by the end of it, they will be decked out in custom Disney clothing

Just a sneak peak of some picks for the kids. I did not do the entire photo b/c I want to keep it a secret

One last detail is what I am asking Santa for during Christmas. I found it (made by Disney Couture) and fell in love. Not only does it have a Cinderella saying(a dream is a wish your heart makes), it is in pink (my fave!). I think it will be nice motivation when I am finishing up my student teaching to look down at it on my finger and remember the wonderful memories of Disney and all the good trips to come.

**UP NEXT: Fasten your seatbelts...we are driving

 

[BellaSoleil]

We have got to meet up, sister!!!! How fun!!!

You will love WL. DH and I stayed there last January and we loved it. The boatride is very short and nice. The weather was great. We never had a cold day and only one super hot day.

Oh, I just can't wait to plan together. Between both of us posting shopping ideas we are going to be in trouble!

 

[BippityBoo]

We have got to meet up, sister!!!! How fun!!!

You will love WL. DH and I stayed there last January and we loved it. The boatride is very short and nice. The weather was great. We never had a cold day and only one super hot day.

Oh, I just can't wait to plan together. Between both of us posting shopping ideas we are going to be in trouble!

OOOHH you have stayed there before I need someone to ask quesitons to! haha

The boat ride is going to be great. When we stayed at the Grand Floridian, we tried to take the boat everywhere b/c it is just so peaceful!

HAHA our shopping is out of control I love how your Mom eggs you on. Mine is the exact same way! Can't wait to plan together Hello to Belle!

PS: Love all of her shoes! The ones with the sparkles are a must for my daughter, Abby!

 

[BippityBoo]

So---as mentioned from the last post, we are driving!! This is pretty much because plane tickets are very expensive right now and, oh yea, I HATE to fly I am still a little uneasy about it because of how young Aiden is going to be (2 yrs old), but here is the plan my DH came up with:

It takes about 9 hours to get to Orlando from where we live. My DH wants to leave around 5am the morning of Jan 6th (check in day). In an effort to not only save money, but just GET TO DISNEY ALREADY we are going to drive the whole way in one day!! We are expecting (praying, really) that the kids will sleep from around 5 until about 7:30. That will get us a good 2 1/2 hrs. into the trip before they are even awake. We will stop for breakfast along the way when they wake (and coffee for the adults) We will also stop along the way for a lunch and some bathroom breaks I am sure. It will be essential to stop and stretch our legs with the kids.

With this plan in action, we figured it would be around 5-6PM when we arrived at the WL!

I am sure at that point, we will be tired and want to just relax and explore the Resort. We talked about getting room service or eating at Roarin Forks for dinner then hitting the sack! I know they have awesome table services, but I just KNOW we would be in for a melt down if we had a sit down dinner!! Anyway, we have a big day at MK planned for the next day

Abby will be missing 3 days of school in the process of our travels. My DH and I are very serious about her education so, this does concern me a little,especially now that she is in 1st grade. She missed 5 days last year to go, but she was just in Kindergarten. The teachers at her school are very use to student's missing to go to Disney b/c just about every car in the carpool line has a Disney sticker, license plate, or decal! So, I am sure she will understand. Anyway, we are going to make sure to get her school work in advance and have it completed when we get back

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Katie

Ok, love the ring. My color also. I don't know how many kid free meals it will take to convince DH but you better start working on it. I can't believe your are driving. Don and I drive everywhere because we love to drive. But we don't have small children. I must admit our girls were good travelers as our grandchildren are.

WL, How awesome for you.

Abby will be fine missing 3 days of school. The teacher will give her some work that she can mess around with and have her do a report when she returns. The first time we ever went Sandi was in 1st grade, Sheri was 3 1/2. We drove. We are 24 hours away tho. Two there, two back, two days at the beach for me and 3 days at MK. No epcot yet. Seemed like we were gone forever, but what fun. The girls still talk about it.

I am so glad you are going to sneak in a few outfits. Can't wait to see them.

Ginny