Escape2Disney
Friendly Neighborhood Disney Fanatic!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2009
Travel Dates: September 15 September 28, 2013
Travel Method: Car
Accommodations: Friend's House in Fair Oaks, Best Western in Marina, Embassy Suites in Valencia, Friend's House in Oceanside, and Paradise Pier Hotel (There are other friends who have offered, so the couch surfing locations may change)
Ages Represented: Me (42), DD (19)
Disney Resort Experience: Die-hard Disneyland Veterans!
Purpose of the Trip:
We got home from our incredible 2012 Christmas trip on December 13th. It truly was a bucket-list vacation full of firsts and wonderful memories. Here is the report if you'd like to read all about it. It was also a stark reminder of the extent of my illness. The two weeks after we got home were full of steroids, advancement of symptoms, and considerable pain. I knew I'd have to deal with some health issues from being around so many people and being more active than I should. What I didn't expect was a dictate from the doctor No flying for a while. He wouldn't qualify 'a while', but it sounded pretty ominous to me. To top it off, I'm not supposed to drive for more than 2 hours at a stretch. I was starting to think my Disney days were over. Here I am with an Annual Pass, and no way to use it!
Anyone who knows me can tell you the best way to get me to do something is to tell me it's impossible.
Grumpy, frustrated, and more than a little sad, I wasn't defeated. Disneyland is my happy place; my something-to-look-forward-to when all of this reality junk gets to be overwhelming. There's no way I was going to give that up! My mind started churning. How could I justify another trip? How could I get there and back with no flying, and no driving more than two hours at a stretch?
Then it hit me...
DD is currently in community college, and will be transferring to a university in a couple of years. She's pretty sure where she wants to go, but I didn't want her to make any snap judgments. We have an arrangement she will tour at least 15 schools before making a final decision. She's already been through the Oregon schools that would work for her, so why not tour schools in California?
I could feel the wheels turn and the smile return to my face...
Since we have so many Universities to visit, and friends along the way who are willing to let us crash at their house, we're breaking the trip up into more manageable chunks so I SHOULDN'T have any issues. Besides, I plan to ask the doctor if I can fudge the time on the no-long-drive dictate by laying down in the van while DD drives for longer stretches.
Tentative Itinerary:
Why Plan NOW?
Yes, I realize September 15th is more than 9 months away. Do I really need to plan now? Logistically, no. But why put off something so fun? Why not start now and let my mind slip into Disney bliss a little each week? I have another surgery scheduled on the 9th of January, and mentally planning itineraries while laying in a hospital bed seems a whole lot more fun than thinking about feeling sorry for myself! So let the planning commence!
Travel Method: Car
Accommodations: Friend's House in Fair Oaks, Best Western in Marina, Embassy Suites in Valencia, Friend's House in Oceanside, and Paradise Pier Hotel (There are other friends who have offered, so the couch surfing locations may change)
Ages Represented: Me (42), DD (19)
Disney Resort Experience: Die-hard Disneyland Veterans!
Purpose of the Trip:
We got home from our incredible 2012 Christmas trip on December 13th. It truly was a bucket-list vacation full of firsts and wonderful memories. Here is the report if you'd like to read all about it. It was also a stark reminder of the extent of my illness. The two weeks after we got home were full of steroids, advancement of symptoms, and considerable pain. I knew I'd have to deal with some health issues from being around so many people and being more active than I should. What I didn't expect was a dictate from the doctor No flying for a while. He wouldn't qualify 'a while', but it sounded pretty ominous to me. To top it off, I'm not supposed to drive for more than 2 hours at a stretch. I was starting to think my Disney days were over. Here I am with an Annual Pass, and no way to use it!
Anyone who knows me can tell you the best way to get me to do something is to tell me it's impossible.
Grumpy, frustrated, and more than a little sad, I wasn't defeated. Disneyland is my happy place; my something-to-look-forward-to when all of this reality junk gets to be overwhelming. There's no way I was going to give that up! My mind started churning. How could I justify another trip? How could I get there and back with no flying, and no driving more than two hours at a stretch?
Then it hit me...
DD is currently in community college, and will be transferring to a university in a couple of years. She's pretty sure where she wants to go, but I didn't want her to make any snap judgments. We have an arrangement she will tour at least 15 schools before making a final decision. She's already been through the Oregon schools that would work for her, so why not tour schools in California?
I could feel the wheels turn and the smile return to my face...
Since we have so many Universities to visit, and friends along the way who are willing to let us crash at their house, we're breaking the trip up into more manageable chunks so I SHOULDN'T have any issues. Besides, I plan to ask the doctor if I can fudge the time on the no-long-drive dictate by laying down in the van while DD drives for longer stretches.
Tentative Itinerary:
- September 15th: Drive to Fair Oaks, and tour CSUS (Stops in Yreka and Redding)
- September 16th: Drive to Marina (Stop in Santa Nella)
- September 17th: Tour CSUMB
- September 18th: Drive to Valencia (Find three stops between Marina and Valencia)
- September 19th: Morning tour of Cal Arts / Afternoon at The Getty
- September 20th: The Getty / Drive to Oceanside
- September 21st: Tour SDSU
- September 22nd: Disneyland
- September 23rd: Disneyland
- September 24th: Disneyland
- September 25th: Disneyland
- September 26th: Disneyland
- September 27th: Disneyland / Drive to Fair Oaks (find 3 stops between Disneyland and Fair Oaks)
- September 28th: Fair Oaks / Home (Stop in Redding and Yreka)
Why Plan NOW?
Yes, I realize September 15th is more than 9 months away. Do I really need to plan now? Logistically, no. But why put off something so fun? Why not start now and let my mind slip into Disney bliss a little each week? I have another surgery scheduled on the 9th of January, and mentally planning itineraries while laying in a hospital bed seems a whole lot more fun than thinking about feeling sorry for myself! So let the planning commence!