2012? No Problem...but when?

A week after the nightmare began, I finally feel like it is over! Both of my girls are recuperating nicely, the princess is back home with her mommy and daddy, and hubby goes back to work tonight!

Visiting my daughter in law yesterday...it was GREAT to see her perk up when I mentioned Disney! I don't think I have ever seen her this excited about something!

So, we are back in full planning mode. In truth, 99% of the planning is completed, just a few odds and ends to finalize and a few kinks to work out.

One of the things I had stressed out about was what bag to carry. For anyone who has had neck or back surgery, you know what an issue this can be. I am one of those over planners who would carry the kitchen sink if I could find a way to get a good clean water supply!

Last trip, I had a fanny pack I borrowed from someone and thought that would work...but it actually held too much and was too heavy for me to wear. So it ended up on the stroller handle bars most of the time.

This year I have decided to pack my diaper bag sized bag with all the stuff we have to take for Mr D and leave it in the stroller. Then it was on for the search to find a bag that would hold just enough for me... but not too much.

Of course, that meant numerous lists to see what I would actually need to have on my person at all times. I won't bore you with the lists, but I will give you the basics. Mr D's meds are a must. I always thought I needed to carry them in the original container, but in truth...no one but us know what it is he is taking...while if they are in the original container...anyone that knows anything about drugs would know it could be sold in the black market for tons...So I am off to find a cute (for me) container to carry his pills in.

I NEED my phone and camera, as well as my KTTW, and maybe some cash...not too much. I will also have a small bottle of hand sanitizer and chapstick...

So with an idea of the size I needed off to search.

My friend D~ had a gorgeous bag she is selling...it is called the Ultimate Park Bag! The hand applique she does, the quilting, the stitches..all absolutely PERFECT! Except for one small detail. It was too big...because I know that I would take advantage of the space an fill it to the point it would be too heavy to carry!

No matter where I searched, I kept coming back to her bag. I really did love it and was having a seriously hard time talking myself out of it. Every time I would see her post about being booked up for so many months I was very glad for her, but secretly sad that I couldn't get one.

Then she started talking about a new bag to put in her arsenal. The Essential Park Bag! It was designed to just carry the essentials! Exactly what I was looking for!

To make this a little shorter, let me tell you I am the very proud owner of the Minnie Mouse Essential Park Bag! (you may have seen it in her trip report or on Facebook...I actually haven't taken any pictures of it yet!)

Just before this saga of all this with my girls started, I had loaded Minnie up with all the essential on my list and carried it around the house for a few hours. It was PERFECT!!! I know the true test will come in the parks, but this simulation told me it was not only possible, but very, very probable!

So, with that monumental problem tackled, it is on to the next one!

Nini
 
So glad everyone is back at home and doing well.

I saw pictures of the Minnie Bag and I just love it. Can't wait to see you wearing it in your Disney pictures:goodvibes
 
OK Nini....

I swear I come to check for your PTR updates every single day - and I am so embarassed that I have missed so many of them.

However, I will say that I was following the news of your DIL and GP on Facebook, I just feel bad that I didn't see the info here too.

I am very relieved that both of them are doing so well now, and that the plans of doing another trip are keeping their spirits soaring!

And thank you for saying such nice things about my bags... Warms my heart truly. (((Hugs)))... My only hope is that the EPB doesn't cause you any pain and your finally have a bag that you can carry in the parks....

I hope to be a better PTR/TR follower in the coming weeks - since mine is almost over, and I will need to go somewhere.

D~
 
So sorry about the health problems with your daughter and DIL, I am happy to hear they are recovering.

I am so excited that your EPB is going to work for you.
 

Wow...seems like I can never get time to get on here anymore!

Let's see...today marks 16 weeks until we go. So far I have:

Made our ADRs (might make a change if I can get Be Our Guest)
Decided on our shirts
Worked out the budget
Decided on what park what day (based on EasyWDW)
Finished my Disney book (now I need to work on the Holiday specific pages)
Inventoried our Disney box
Made a shopping list for items we need to replace in our Disney box
Made a dress for the Grand Princess to wear to Be Our Guest ('cause you know I AM going to change that ADR as soon as I can!)
Worked on tentative plans for each day
Took family vote and made our choices for the CS meals
Put some money back in the saving account for a few more incidentals
Triple checked that I can pay for the vacation with Disney Gift Cards. (Hoping that Sam's gets their holiday selection of Disney Gift Cards in soon. I need to buy 3500 in gift cards...if they are running thier special promotion I can also get 350 in Disney STORE gift cards to use as Christmas Presents!)
Worked on emails that will go out each week; along with the trivia questions)
Started working on our countdown calendar
Gave ourselves a Disney manicure
FINISHED THE QUILT FROM HECKIE POOH!!! (ok, not 100% finished, but will be as soon as I get to Joann's to find some fabric for the binding!)

Since I have had a couple of orders this week, I feel like I am officially starting my Disney fund! Finishing up this quilt will mean I can go to MVMCP after all! It no longer becomes something I have to save for...it is very exciting! At least to me!

At less than 4 months until we go, I seriously feel like I am forgetting something. Something important. I know I feel like this every year, and every year there is something that we forgot. I keep going over all the lists we have made in the past (yup...I keep them ALL!) and so far it seems like we have thought of everything... but I know better...there is something and it will come back to bite me...I just know it!


Also...finished reading the fourth installment of Kingdom Keepers. So far it is my favorite installment. I can hardly wait until next month when I get the fifth installment!



Nini
 
Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!


Yup...I made yet another change...sort of!

The whole lunch at Marrakesh and dinner at Biergarten has bothered me from the beginning. I really don't like having two ADRs in one day. It requires way too much planning for our touring style.

We have to be super flexible for Mr D. If we don't take a break in the middle of the day we will not make it to dinner. Trying to plan so that we are in Morocco by 11, and still being able to ride Mr D's favorites is near to impossible! While I know there is such a thing as back tracking, I KNOW that it won't work for us. Anytime you go backwards, Mr D insists we are leaving! And if we leave too early we get a melt down...

But if we do that as a CS meal, it gives us the problem of an extra dining credit. (not a problem if Be Our Guest is two credits...but according to Disney's own site it is going to be a one credit...only the rumor sites list it as a two credit.) I thought about all the food from Disney that I haven't tried that I really want to try...Tonga Toast came to mind.

On a whim I checked to see if O'Hana was available on our departure day. It was...at exactly the time I needed it for..10:30. While I am not a fan of Lilo and Stitch, I do love Mickey. So, that is now booked. I haven't brought up the subject to hubby yet...so I don't know how he is going to feel about it. But I do know that Miss B loves the idea.

...and I have gotten a pretty good idea on a shirt to wear... so now all I have to do is convince hubby it is the thing to do. (of course, the one fly in the ointment might be I only see scrambled eggs as an option...hubby will NOT touch scrambled eggs...they HAVE to be over easy for him (something to do with being in the army...the only way you could be guaranteed they were actually real eggs is to have them over easy.)

I see my use of parenthesis are worse than my use of the exclamation point!


Nini
 
I definately prefer the O'hana breakfast to dinner... Maybe it's because by the time the girls and I got to dinner - we were too full to enjoy it? I am not sure... But I do think that you will enjoy your breakfast there, it's a good choice.

Is your ticker right? I thought you switched your dates to Nov?

D~
 
I definately prefer the O'hana breakfast to dinner... Maybe it's because by the time the girls and I got to dinner - we were too full to enjoy it? I am not sure... But I do think that you will enjoy your breakfast there, it's a good choice.

Is your ticker right? I thought you switched your dates to Nov?

D~

I'm glad you think breakfast is better than dinner. I really wanted to try Tusker House for breakfast, but could not work it into our planning.

We go Nov 23 to Dec 3...On my ticker I can't even see the dates so I don't know what it is saying. I know I tried to change it after we changed our dates...but the Dis was having some issues and I kept getting error messages. I don't know if I ever went back to fix it or not. Probably didn't!

If I get time I might try to fix that later today...


Nini

......Or maybe I should try for two trips....
 
some day I will try Ohana for breakfast.

I can't even remember where we are eating at the end of the month how sad is that LOL.
 
Well... the actual Disney planning is about the same.

However I DID take the plunge and decided to try my hand at being a Travel Agent. I don't want to say too much about it right now, but just know that I am on pins and needles waiting on the paperwork... and I have to wait for the training to start and things like that... and we all know I am REALLY not very patient!

Today is a shopping trip with the kids. Miss B starts school on Monday, so we have a few last minute items to get; and I have to work on Princess Alyssa's next dress request. (a dress for Akershus with all the Christmas princesses on it!) Luckily my daughter in law gave me a gift card to Joann's so I can get her fabrics for it. It will be the first time I have seen the grand Princess since Sunday! Although I did talk to her on the phone on Thursday...she got worried because of the storm and grabbed her mom's phone and called to check on us!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a 4 year old can operate a cell phone (probably better than me!) but it still seems a little strange to know she can call me whenever she wants!

Nini
 
Well... the actual Disney planning is about the same.

However I DID take the plunge and decided to try my hand at being a Travel Agent. I don't want to say too much about it right now, but just know that I am on pins and needles waiting on the paperwork... and I have to wait for the training to start and things like that... and we all know I am REALLY not very patient!

Today is a shopping trip with the kids. Miss B starts school on Monday, so we have a few last minute items to get; and I have to work on Princess Alyssa's next dress request. (a dress for Akershus with all the Christmas princesses on it!) Luckily my daughter in law gave me a gift card to Joann's so I can get her fabrics for it. It will be the first time I have seen the grand Princess since Sunday! Although I did talk to her on the phone on Thursday...she got worried because of the storm and grabbed her mom's phone and called to check on us!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a 4 year old can operate a cell phone (probably better than me!) but it still seems a little strange to know she can call me whenever she wants!

Nini

I am so excited for you Nini... I plan to look further into it when I get home from Charlotte. I've talked to DH about it, but he seems to think I am going to make oodles of $$ - which I know is not the case at all. I don't think I will be able to quit my day job any time soon - if ever (but I really want to). I wish you all the luck in the world, and I am anxious to join you!

Yay for making the GP a new dress - it sounds magnificant! And too funny that she called you herself. You two are so close and I love that!

D~
 
I am so excited for you Nini... I plan to look further into it when I get home from Charlotte. I've talked to DH about it, but he seems to think I am going to make oodles of $$ - which I know is not the case at all. I don't think I will be able to quit my day job any time soon - if ever (but I really want to). I wish you all the luck in the world, and I am anxious to join you!

Yay for making the GP a new dress - it sounds magnificant! And too funny that she called you herself. You two are so close and I love that!

D~

I figure if I make enough money to pay for our annual trip to Disney each year it will be worth it...although I have a feeling it will be not quite enough!

Princess and I go way back! I was in the delivery room with her birth and have been there for each milestone. Her mommy went back to work when she was 4 weeks old (part time) and I started watching her then. It was supposed to be just until she went full time and could find a good day care, and it ended up being a full time job. For me!

When I had my surgery she went to a day care for a few weeks, but she cried to come and stay with me. (She said she could help take care of me!) After her first day of Kinder this year she told her mommy she could just stay with me until she started first grade...'cause Memaw could teach her all that stuff!

She will turn 5 at the end of this month (HOW did that happen?) This is the longest we have ever been without seeing each other! Five days! We even take her on vacation with us...

Nini

Not a proud grandmother at all!
 
Nini good luck on your new venture. Let me know if you are going to handle cruises too because that is what I use a TA for and if you are only going to do Disney :)

I would rather give friends business.
 
How exciting about becoming a TA. I hope all the paperwork gets finished up soon. :yay:

I think it is so sweet that your little grandprincess wanted to call and check on you guys. She must be missing you LOTS.
 
Nini good luck on your new venture. Let me know if you are going to handle cruises too because that is what I use a TA for and if you are only going to do Disney :)

I would rather give friends business.

I will be starting with Disney and then branching out to a bit of everything! I hope to be able to start the training in a few days, and as soon as I pass my Disney knowledge tests (yes, my husband teases me I should be a straight A student at Disney Knowledge College!) I can start booking Disney...cruises come next.

How exciting about becoming a TA. I hope all the paperwork gets finished up soon. :yay:

I think it is so sweet that your little grandprincess wanted to call and check on you guys. She must be missing you LOTS.


LOL.. Yesterday, we went shopping for her Christmas Princess fabric. She was very specific in what she wanted. After lunch, she started crying. She thought she had to go home...when I told her she could stay at my house for a while she perked right up!

(Of course she wouldn't even talk to me at church this morning...)

Nini
 
Maybe you should save some of your test questions for your Disney trivia emails.
I would think your knowledge of the military discounts and SOG might be helpful to lots of travelers.

I reallllllly want to take a cruise so let US know when you get certified for that.

I am in the process of planning a trip for my brother and his family but it is making me so jealous as I want to go so bad!
 
I definately prefer the O'hana breakfast to dinner... Maybe it's because by the time the girls and I got to dinner - we were too full to enjoy it? I am not sure... But I do think that you will enjoy your breakfast there, it's a good choice.


D~

:thumbsup2 We love Ohana dinner, but I really love the Breakfast. :love::love:I think it has to do with the fact I don't have to go and get my own food. They serve it all to you because at the buffets I won't eat until all the characters have come by because I am so afraid of missing them:rotfl:
 
A quick drive by post to ask for prayers again...


My grand Princess went for a doctor's appointment today. It was supposed to be just a check up. Instead it went horribly wrong. There is another infection in her foot and she is heading into surgery tomorrow to have it drained and cultured.

Next week she will have an appointment with an infectious disease specialist.

Nini
 
Your granddaughter princess: is having more than her share of trouble. I hope the procedure went well and that the MD was being overly cautious/dramatic.

Your whole extended family must be stressed out over the continuing saga. You are in my prayers.
 
Quick update..


My grand princess had her surgery on Friday. It appears the infection was related to the death of another bone in her foot. (the culture will tell us more) At this point we don't know if the infection caused the bone to die or if the bone died causing the infection.

Months ago when the first bone died, the scan showed all the other bones were healthy. So, they will do another scan to make sure they have caught it all. (although I don't have a ton of confidence in this part of it..)

The had to go down to the main bone and clean out the wound, added three drainage tubes and pack the wound in gauze.

She goes back to surgery on Monday to recheck the wound site, unpack, repack and put in new tubes. We are back to the 3 surgeries a week.

Hopefully the infectious disease doctor can give us an idea as to what is going on. We are now back in the 'just trying to save the foot' mode.

The two bones missing are part of the growth plate for her toes. Which means that in a year or so she will have to have another surgery to add a 'spacer' rod to keep her foot straight. (and for those paying attention, the original surgery was to correct club foot...)

Then, she will need some skin grafts on the foot after that surgery.

Since she will be missing so much school, we are probably going to start home schooling her as well. She can't go to school on the actual surgery date, and the day after surgery is when she feels bad... no energy, can't eat, tired... then she goes back to surgery the next day. A viscous cycle.

Also, overnight on Thursday, my aunt lost her battle with brain cancer. This is particularly hard on me since while she was my dad's sister, she was my mother's best friend growing up. She introduced my parents, and after their divorce, my mom said that was the hardest loss, she missed her best friend.

After my mom's death, this one hits me pretty hard.

So, today, after church services, we will be driving up to Tennessee (5 hours) for the viewing this afternoon, then coming home so that Miss B can go to school and I can go to the hospital with the Grand Princess tomorrow. I will miss the funeral, but I can only be in so many places at once.

On a good note, the travel agent training is going pretty well. I passed the Disney Specialist training, only to discover they no longer allow you to use that designation in your advertising...but I still get my Training Ears! I am working on one cruise line at a time, so it seems that Princess Cruise Line is what I am working on now...and now that I have the hang of what they are looking for the tests are easier...I have a feeling I may take the computer and work on some classes as we are traveling today.

And...Be Our Guest is opening the phone lines for ADRs tomorrow morning...so I will be on the phone with Disney (probably from the hospital!) making our ressies for that! (Have to remember to sit near the promenade for good cell reception at the waiting room!)

I guess the first sentence saying "QUICK" update was a total lie! But I have been up since 5 am and just needed to get all my thoughts straight.

Hopefully the next updates will be on a more positive note!

Nini
 












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