4/29/06 Eastern Magic...We're Going!!!!!

[suziemva]

We do better at the parks with a baby. Tori's first trip was at 2 1/2 months and was relatively easy (despite the 98 deg weather!). So we do better on our own schedule instead of someone elses. Not being restricted by times, etc.

We could probably do a cruise at that time (with baby in tow) but we miss out on seeing friends and going to the parks. Flounders - and having to pay for it - seems a pain. Why bother? We also spend less money at the parks. Seems like a win-win situation for us.

Not to say that we wouldn't cruise again in the future, just not for us right now. Friends want to go in about five years which seems like a good idea to us. So, you never know!!!

I wish you all the very best on your next cruise and hope you have as much fun as this cruise was!

CG - business is going. We're waiting on a few big contracts (one to start in the next few weeks). Ed is taking his Class A license test in 10 days so that will open up more doors for us.

Health insurance - we found a better company that will accept me pregnant! And it's about $400 less per month, so it's a huge plus! Thank God for that!

Tori's last day of school today. Friday is a picnic but it's supposed to rain so it will probably be cancelled. Oh, well.

Baby is kicking up a storm! Very active and moves at the worst times - dinner time and sleep time! Pretty funny actually. Saturday will be half way for me since I will only go 38 weeks. Time has flown! Have a OB appt tomorrow (checkup) and my sono on Tuesday. We'll find out the sex then. I'll post more after.

Getting ready for my yardsale in June. Got so much crap..I mean, stuff...that we need to get rid of some to make room for this new one! Some friends joining in so should be a huge sale! Can't wait for it to be over! Mom and Aunt Betsy are coming over Saturday to help sort through some things and then will help out later with pricing and selling. Gotta love family!!!

I feel like Suzie Homemaker lately! We got so tired of fancy food on the ship (I know, sounds strange) that I've been doing homemade dinners since we got back! I think we've only eaten out once! Empanadas, mushroom/onion steaks, sausage calzones, chicken wellington, nachos and tacos, simple pasta dishes....it's all good! I'd forgotten how much I love to cook! And my house is getting so clean! Amazing what extra time you have when you aren't on the computer all day or worrying about packing! HA!

Trying to organize Tori's room. Shelving on the walls for all her pics and stuff....closet rearranging. She's growing so much (HUGE growth spurt since we got back!) that we're having to pack away clothes and bring out the bigger sizes....um, fun....

Barb, sorry to hear about Caity. She's such a dear! Tori really misses all your kids and asks about them still! She has to show everyone that little moose and all the Nadian money (that's what she calls it!) in the backpack! Such a great gift! Give them all our best! I'll get back to email soon. Just so much going on!

Trish, will call soon. Everytime I want to, it's the wrong time! Darn that 3 hour difference! Just want to catch up with you!

Well, time is flying again. I must go to the store on the way to pick Tori up. Forgot that I needed bread and milk. DUH!

 

[Belle and Rella's Dad]

Just checking in, I guess I am not ready to give up on this thing, even though I always have to be planning what our next trip will be, we have Thanksgiving in the World, then off to Disney and Vero Beach next year for Spring Break, then Disney for the Food and Wine Festival in late of 07, Vero again for Spring Break in 08 and the Cruise in May of 08. Not bad I guess, I only have our next five vacations planned, of course that doesn't count some last minute get a ways that I am sure will present themselves. Sue, the only reason that we do May, is that since we have to book two rooms, it was almost half the price as trying to go over the first week of April, plus it gives me an excuse to go for Spring Break and then again in a month. I do know that being a teacher it is very hard to get out of work for a vacation, (not like a firefighter) and for some to pull their kids out of school as they get older ("hey is that a can of worms your opening?") is always another issue.

Alright, just looking at what is ahead means I have to get back to work, we are headed to Dayton, OH tomorrow for a weekend soccer tournament so I need to get some stuff done today, C YA everyone.

Tom

 

[BLBCB]

Good luck with the soccer this weekend.

Barb

 

[Lisa D]

Hi everyone,

I've got to get us off of page 2!

Barb and Shyla, , I hope your girls are feeling better by now! I know it's awful to return from vacation with sick kids. That happened to us a few years ago, but not as severe as your girls had it! Hopefully Caity and Catrina are much better! Barb, I like the pictures you added. I was thinking looking at some of them "where is this" then I realized it was in The Stack. Jimmy certainly would have recognized it - he spent enough time there. That is a bummer about Len having to wait so long to get his knee repaired.

As I said, 2008 is a goal but we might have to bite the bullet and work around school schedules also. Jimmy starts 9th grade and high school this Sept. so we'll have to see what the workload is before scheduling any vacations during school (so, we'll be enduring WDW in the August heat next summer). Middle school, believe it or not, is not as much a concern. The past three vacations, Jonathan has had more homework in elementary school than Jimmy had from middle school. He actually went back ahead of his class this time. Go figure!

Trish, I'm confident you can win your husband over in two years! The cruise really is as much or as little Disney as you want it to be! I had to win Phil over to do Disney way back when (in 1990 no less) and we keep coming back!

Suzie, good luck with your yard sale. I should get motivated to clean inside also. Keep us posted about your baby! And tell Ed we said hi.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone!

Lisa

 

[The Roses]

Hey! We're on PAGE TWO! How did we let that happen?

The Pirate hopes to get pics posted soon. He took pictures of *everything*. We have pics of Tom dancing and pics of all of the butts of folks standing up cheering him on. We have pics of the elevators and pics of the backs of the elevators. We have pictures of a bunch of luggage, and none of it is ours. There was this funny little metal thing sticking up in a little niche in the wall by the verandah and he took 2 pictures of that! TWO! He even took a couple of pictures of the ashtray where he and Tom and Pango smoked the stogies.

We're spending Memorial Day in an allegedly haunted hotel in the middle of Oregon. So if you never hear from us again..... Then we go to the coast for a week. We rented a big 'ole house sight unseen for a family reunion. I wonder how many pictures Mr Camera will take there!

We had so much fun and hope to see all of you in 2008. Suzie, if you can't travel there, then travel out here and stay with us. We know where Trish hangs out in Olympia.

I know it's not realistic for us to all keep in touch, but I hope we try.

The PAHW, aka The Roses

 

[BLBCB]

Suzie, I've got an idea. How about we also plan a week at the parks before or after the cruise, so that the "landlubbers" and the "seafarers" can meet up at some point! I can see your reasoning behind waiting for the cruise. Doesn't mean we couldn't hang out before or after the cruise though. I just don't think that I could be that close to the parks and not stop in. Airfare usually runs around $600 - $750 per person from here so once we've paid for that, it really doesn't seem to add much to add on some park time.

I've overheard each of my kids talking about the trip and Tori just seems to come up in each of the conversations. They were really missing their little cousins while we were there, and she filled that void perfectly. They didn't even really spend much time together. The Wilderness Lodge though is referred to as "Tori's hotel". Can you just hear the sales pitch: "The Contemporary has some beatifully redecorated rooms, the Grand Floridian has that old south elegance, and Tori's hotel has the rustic charm of the wilderness".

I'll keep working on getting the pictures uploaded. I still have to develop the water cameras. My poor husband is being taken away by the medics on Castaway Cay, and I stop to take a picture of him. These things just have to be done right? Brittany was on the teen excursion and she got a nice picture of the Mickey statue in the snorkelling area. She also has a bunch of pictures from the stack.

Sue, your son is a darling. We adopted him one night and he came for supper with us. After supper he did his "rounds" like Brittany. They both came and kissed "Mom" goodnight and promised to be home "at a decent time" and to mind their manners. He is so funny. We always wanted four kids, just didn't work out. This way I didn't have to pay for his cruise either!! I tend to "adopt" kids all the time. There are usually 4 or 5 kids in the neighborhood that regularly call me Mom and pretty much live at our house. Anyway, thought you'd like to know that he bahaves well in public when your not around. I always hope my kids do.

Gotta get some work done. Bye for now

Barb

 

[BLBCB]

I'm not sure where to post this one.

We always have taken a picture by the Walt & Mickey statue in front of Cinderella's castle. We kept putting it off this trip and didn't get it done. Does anyone know if with some kind of photo editing program, could a picture of our family be cut & pasted or something onto a background like that?

I guess that leads me to my next question, does anyone have a good picture of the castle all decked out in gold?

Thanks,

Barb

 

[suziemva]

Barb, check your email.

 

[castlegazer]

Have a great Memorial Day everyone! I am headed to Maine later today. There's nothing like packing for Maine - everyone needs cruise sized suitcases for the weekend - one side beach wear, one side sweats and sweatshirts and even some fleece. You just never know.

I finished my College of Disney Knowledge course work so now I am ready to make dream vacations a reality for people!

Barb, hope you get some help. I have some good photos too, but not from straight on - I like the side view from the Rose Garden. I also have straight on, but only the top of the castle. I know the pics are out there, though - and some can be found right here at the DIS on the photos section.

 

[rubysmom]

I wrote the following post last night around midnight and couldn't get the system to post when I was finally done typing it. Remember that happened when you were here, Suzie? System maintenance? or maybe it was just too long! Anyway, so here it is, a little out of order--it wouldve gone right after The Roses post, so let me just first respond to your new posts Barb & CG:

CG, congratulations on your 'diploma'! Now you get a cool graduation cap too, right?? I want to take that course just for the knowledge and to see how much I think I know! (of course the TA thing is a dream, but not possible for me right now) I wish you many happy customers!

Barb, what a great idea! It just wouldn't be right to go on another cruise without somehow getting together with Suzie & the fam! I hope something like that can be worked out. Sorry I can't help with a pic of the castle--we only did MGM & AK post-cruise. Hopefully Suzie took care of ya, though--I know they were there.

BL: I weighed in this am for the first time since we got back. I'm up 2 lbs from pre-cruise weigh-in. Didn't gain any on the cruise, but I've been such a slacker these past few weeks. Time to get moving again.

OK now here's my post from last night--weird to post my thoughts so long after 'writing' them but oh well:

Ah...Sue. It's really quite impossible to read a post from the PAHW without cracking up. It's one of the reasons why we all love you so! I await the pics of the little metal thing with bated breath... Do try to survive the haunted hotel, I want to hear all about it. We went to the Oregon Vortex a couple years ago...really weird stuff...you guys should check it out sometime! It's one of those places where there's s'posed to be a vortex in the normal magnetic lines that run criss cross north/south & east west all over the globe. Lots of optical illusion stuff, but weird enough to make you wonder if some of it is for real. BTW, I'm happy to cohost any westcoast meets with you guys...Tuggles, Metzlers, and anyone else heading this way.

Lisa, thanks for the vote of confidence. If Dr. Phil is any indication, my DH should be easily won over. Just look at him chumming with Minnie and all us gals at the pool! What a ham! Dave does enjoy Disney, actually. We've been to DL twice together (once w/kids & once without) and to WDW twice together (once w/kids & once without) [plus 3 other Disney trips w/o him, lol!] and he knows how Disney is 'the other man' in my life . It's the $$, really. More than that, it's the ease with which I hand it over to Disney by the bucketload that has him hesitating. If I ACTUALLY saved up for the whole thing and ACTUALLY stuck to a predetermined vacation budget, he would be ecstatic and follow me anywhere, I'm quite sure. That and the fact that we haven't had a proper ski vacation for 2 years. I really love skiing, but I'm addicted to Disney. You see the difference, right?

Barb, I really enjoyed the new pictures. Lots of different perspectives and things I never noticed. How sad that I never saw that the gangway mat said 'Welcome Home'. I guess I vaguely remember reading that somewhere, but there was always a small lineup of people re-boarding, so I never looked down to see it. Well, of course that means I have to go again, right?

Tom, can we just live vicariously through you guys and your vacations until the next cruise? Enjoy them all, honey... we're with you in spirit anyway!

This weekend is our annual Ski to Sea festival, which is getting to be really a big deal. The top finishers in the 7-leg race are paid/sponsored semi-pros, some from other countries even. Dave has done the downhill ski leg a gazillion times and back in high school did the road bike leg for a few years. Too busy to train/enter this year, but it's really exciting and I always get choked up at the finish line. The last leg of the race is kayaking and the finishers have to get out of their kayak and run up the shore a little bit to ring a big bell. Sometimes they can't walk from being in the kayak in the cold water for so long and they crawl up the hill. It's heart-wrenching to watch. We love to cheer the racers on. Once Dave showed up at the mountain (Mt. Baker) with his skis, just in case someone's skier didn't show up, and sure enough a team of Navy guys needed a skier at the last second, so Dave joined their team just like that. There's usually parties all over town and the whole downtown area near the finish is covered with booths with everything from Kettle corn to high-end eco-extreme hiking shoes to post-race massage booths for the athletes. There's 2 or 3 stages around the area with live music, and beer gardens and everything a northwest college town needs to have fun. Anyway, that will be our weekend, plus a BBQ or two with friends. (Sorry, I got to rambling there!)

Best of luck in the soccer tourney, TT, and to everyone else, hope you have a great long weekend, and to our dear Canucks, pretend it's still Victoria Day weekend and raise a glass with us!

 

[rieggman]

I was so excited to see all the posts on here. There's no reason we can't all get on like this once in a while and give each other the low down on what's going on.

TOMIt is really hard for me to go during "off vacation" times. The biggest reason being is that I have to take the time off without pay! If you add that to the cost of the vacation, it can make for a VERY expensive trip. This trip for us was an incredible deal (too good to pass up) which made it very worth it. As far as opening up a can of worms... I will use guilt or any other measure to get this group together again. I'd really like a second chance to spend time with you. Say "Hi" to Julie and the girls for us.

BARB Thank you for your lovlely post about Ethan. He really is a good kid, but he can be very "high maintenance", so if you're really serious about the adoption thing, we could arrange temporary residence. I have to tell you, his room looks like a landfill and he eats A LOT! But all that said, he's a good kid...funny too, isn't he!
He really missed Brittany when we got back. He had notes posted all over the computer to remind himself to email her. Don't know if he has, but I hope he's following through. I don't have any pictures of the kids together or of the Stack. The kids seemed to always be gone. I never saw Ethan the whole week. In fact, we were a bit upset with him because he rarely checked in with us and we were worried at times. If you have any pictures of the kids, I'd love them.

SHYLA could you find me a dream cruise for $3000 during February vacation! Consider yourself challenged! I hope the baby is doing better by now. Any time you want to get together we could meet somewhere in between us. Let me know. We East Coast gals need to stay in touch you know.

Anyone coming to Rhode Island this summer? Be sure to let us know. There are quite a few of us here. We'd love to host a beach party!


Hope everyone out on West Coast is doing well too. Summer weather is finally starting to creep in here. 80 and muggy this weekend. Happy Memorial Day guys!

SUEegg

 

[BLBCB]

Hey, if we are offering tours, I'm still offering guided tours of the Crown Royal distillery for anyone interested! I could take you back to my old house and show you the polar bears in the fall, or you could swim with the beluga whales in July. We are the province of 100,000 lakes, so I can offer a lot beaches. Our river has amazing fossils all along it. It curves all through our land and is a really nice place for kids to play. Have I convinced anyone to come on up yet? We have pretty much finished the basement so you don't have to be worried that I'll put you to work. The upstairs will be waiting until winter now because we have so much landscaping to do. I'll have someone coming up to join us Canucks yet!

Barb

 

[tiggersister2]

Hi Barb - - well for some reason I just took note you are from Manitoba....I lived in Canada for 10 years - first in Picton, Ontario and then in Oshawa and finally in Vancouver, BC. My best friend up there was from Manitoba and she told me it was lovely. I have to say Canada is such a gorgeous country you must love it there. I have always wanted to go to Bampf - Bamf?? shoot - I forget how to spell it - sorry

I've decided to keep my hopes up to keep the cruise date I made on the ship for next April so my husband can go. I don't know if I can spend that much already - may have to wait til 2008. It's too bad money is so important when it comes to planning fun -maybe the blue fairy will cook up some millions and send them my way

Well, again, if this becomes the end -- hello to you all . I'm a few weeks behind everyone so I think I am just at the point where I have accepted I'm back. Last week the depression was AWFUL .but I think I'll survive now.

I have a question for anyone who is still there. I was thinking of maybe doing a cruise with my 3 daughters and sister in a couple of years - so that would be 5 adults. If my daughters shared a room what category would be comfortable for them? Or is a large suite better - but I've never priced those so that may be out of the question.....just curious. Thanks

 

[Belle and Rella's Dad]

Hey just wanted to ask has anyone been to Ocean City Maryland??? If so what can you tell me about it????

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[tiggersister2]

Well Tom -- I don't know if I'm a good one to answer or not. I know people who absolutely LOVE Ocean City, MD but I am not one of them. I was only there once. My husband and I went for a day when were camping in our RV at a nearby campground. I grew up going to the Jersey shore so I love Long Beach Island, Cape May and Ocean City NJ. To me OC MD was a little tacky and didn't have the charm that the other places have. Lots of people in this area love Wildwood, NJ and I did as a kid, but don't now because it's just too loud and unpleasant (tho again, I am sure people would smack me for saying that). I know that OC NJersey was voted one of the best family beaches. I guess it all depends what you are looking for but I just thought I'd share my particular experience. Also, to top it off, the day we were in OC Maryland, our bicycles were stolen so it left us with a bad taste in our mouths. Again, it's like everywhere else - when I read about people who hate certain Disney hotels and parks that I love I just don't get it - I will never return to OC Maryland, but that's just me. (can you tell I'm afraid to be negative??
Are you guys planning a trip there?

 

[castlegazer]

Just so you all don't feel wierd about this, I have been checking in/posting to a group of virtual friends here at the DIS for four years now almost every day. There is absolutely no reason why we all can't stop by to say hi whenever we feel like it. I at least have met you all - well most - and I haven't even met those guys personally. I love 'em, though. It's like having pen pals and a blog all at once. I have spent many hours trying to figure out my love of this chat board and I think the proliferation of blogs tells me a lot, we all just want to be connected to a community of like mined individuals. I am stating to loathe blogs - every digital designer has one - because they are so one sided.

Anyways, that my spouting off for today.

Memorial Day weekend was AWESOME up here in the NE! Beautiful weather. We spent hours on the beach, got some great outlet shopping in with even some clothes for me, and spent some wonderful family time. All good!

Now back to work.

Sueggman - you are ON! We actually used to come on down a lot, but since the kids were born we are more seldom visitors to the beauty that is Rhodie. Living in WMass, Rhode Island used to be my Cape Cod - bout as far as we were willing to drive. So the beaches were our escape. But also, since I married well to a man with a family beach house in Maine it also is less of a choice because we spend most weekends away as it is. But we will work on this.

TT - I only know it through demographic work stuff. Nothing helpful for you I am afraid.

I have a question for anyone who is still there. I was thinking of maybe doing a cruise with my 3 daughters and sister in a couple of years - so that would be 5 adults. If my daughters shared a room what category would be comfortable for them? Or is a large suite better - but I've never priced those so that may be out of the question.....just curious. Thanks

Many people get the outside staterooms with verandah and then get the matching inside stateroom across the hall for this type of a set-up. They all report that it works really well and is much less expensive than a suite and then you don't have to wait for inventory control to tell you when a suite opens up.



Hope everyone else keeps "blogging" here!

We'll work out another travel date, don't worry.

 

[suziemva]

Well, everybody. The wait is over. Had my sono today but came back with the results. We're very excited! Now just 18 1/2 more weeks and we can see this little peanut for real!





Oh, wait! I didn't tell you, did I? Shame on me! Keeping you all waiting with baited breath! How could I do that to such a great group of people?! So sorry!



You really wanna know? It's a ..............

 

[castlegazer]

OMG! OMG!!!! How perfect!

I was doing a layout for Tori last night at a New Hampshire Liquor store - story to follow - and I was hoping it would be another girl for you! (our entire liquor cabinet needed tending to, so it was a long stop over so I hauled out the laptop while waiting for Paul - and for anyone who doesn't know, NH sells liquor tax free and discounted at state liquor stores so while driving through NH it is a requirement to stop and fill up the cabinet - Tom, you would be in seventh heaven)

 

[rubysmom]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Suzie, I'm soooo excited for you guys! And for Tori, who gets to be The Big Sister... I'll be calling you...

Just so you all don't feel wierd about this, I have been checking in/posting to a group of virtual friends here at the DIS for four years now almost every day. There is absolutely no reason why we all can't stop by to say hi whenever we feel like it.

Apparently I have no problem with feeling weird about this, since I'm just blabbing away for paragraphs without end in every post, like we never left. How pathetic am I? I spent hours Sunday nite creating a timeline of our comings & goings on the trip (using info from pictures, receipts and Navigators) so that when I someday either scrapbook it or do a trip report (or both or neither), I'll remember how it all went down. Don't worry, names have been changed to protect the, uh, guilty.

Camped in the rain Saturday nite, and totally skipped the Ski to Sea festivities for the first time in years ( don't tell anyone--that's like blasphemy around here!). Our friends have this massive heavy duty tent made of some canvas material and they set up a woodstove in it, lol! We had fun even with the rain. Yesterday we had another campfire on the beach, more roasting hotdogs & more s'mores, but this time with nice weather.

Tiggersister, do wait for 2008 and join us!! (or do both 2007 and 2008 )

 

[tiggersister2]

Susie - CONGRATULATIONS!!!! YAY! I have 3 girls - twins who will be 30 this year - - I know I know you are all thinking I look much too young to have two 30 year olds...... My baby is 25....Girls are great!!!!!! You'll have lots of fun with them and you WILL survive teen girls - tho you may not think so at the time -- and then they become your very best friends And - for all you with boys - I know they are good also - my sister has 2 of them

Trish -- yes - I would love to do 2 cruises - I am now addicted. I am rethinking the one with the whole family right now since not everyone is in a position to afford it - so that may be way down the line. I forget - when are all of you thinking of going in 2008 and are you doing eastern or western?
I'm keeping my ressie for next April for as long as I can and then will decide.