A Kat In The Kingdom - A Pre-Trip Report

[kittythepoohbear]

The laundry is done, the house is clean (well, mostly), the animals are fed and I can finally sit down with a diet Dr. Pepper and begin my pre-trip report.
*sip of Dr. Pepper*
Where to even begin - this trip has been an evolving saga of sorts and the cast of characters that will be mentioned will get plentiful. Plus, I tend ramble both in conversation and in writing, so I know this will inevitable get confusing. Apologies in advance. I also have an awful tendency to not finish these trip reports. I started one last year and got to day two before work and household duties called. As days passed, I fell further behind until I gave up. By that time, I had been home for a month and had forgotten half the things we did. This time I shall try to be good and keep up to date. After all, I have way too much fun reading trip reports and wish to share the pixie dust.
Ok, with that out of the way, let's get started.
*sip of soda*

Cast of Characters:

Me - Katrina a.k.a. Kat, 29 y.o. voice teacher who just moved from New York City to Wilkes-Barre, PA. Certified Disney nut, mommy to two bunnies, step-mommy to one kitty, gal to one fiance. As this has ended up becoming a solo trip as of last week, I shall be the only one travelling to Orlando.

Supporting Cast:

My Sweetie - Tony, 35, thought Disney was stupid till I dragged him with me last year. Now he listens to Inside the Magic and reads the DIS. He will also be paying for our brand new roof, but more on the later.

My bunnies - Jellybean (boy, 5) and Lola (girl, 2). No kids yet, but gosh do I love my bunnies. They live in the basement, eat lots of hay, and are addicted to raisins.

The kitty - Mineko a.k.a. Mini a.k.a. Mine-chan (girl, 3-ish). Mini wandered into the house one day a couple of years ago. She went up the stairs, jumped on the bed and went to sleep. Did I mention she was pregnant? Unfortunately, we lost both kitties due to FeLV, but Mineko is healthy and happy. Truly the sweetest kitty ever (my apologies to those who may think otherwise.)

The aunt - Linda a.k.a. the one who started this whole mess 25 years ago. She lives in Orlando, specifically in DuBarry. She has decided to keep me company for a few days during my new found solo trip and will be attending MNSSHP with me on 9/15.

Let the trip report begin!

9/9/06 - 5 more sleeps till take-off.

Today was laundry day. Ever since moving into a house I have discovered I love doing laundry. I take the clothes into the basement, toss them in the washer, hang with the bunnies or clean the house while they wash. Toss them in the dryer, read the DIS boards while they dry, fold, and VIOLA! laundry is done. Beats having to hoard quarters, pack all the dirty clothes into a shopping cart, walk three blocks to the laundromat, wait for a washer, pay $3, wait 30 minutes, pay $2 for the dryer, wait some more. All this waiting in the company of other less than happy to be there people. So I look forward to my laundry days, but today was a special laundry day. Today I washed the required garments so that I may pack my suitcase for Disney. Until recently I was a very last minute packer. As in pack at 11:30 pm the night before you leave and have to be at the airport by 5 am. But last trip I discovered the beauty of packing a few days in advance. You can plan outfits which leads to the end of overpacking. You remember important things like contact lense solution and your theme park tickets. You actually get to sleep. So it was with great joy that I did my laundry today. Of course I still have to pack, but the DIS comes first.

So here I am busy preparing for my trip, but I am already getting ahead of myself. I need to explain the saga that was planning this trip, specifically the last two weeks. Get comfy. This is gonna take a while.

Up next - How a well planned romantic getaway turned into a nutty solo trip.

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Installment #2 - The joys and pains of planning a WDW trip.

This time last year I was in Disney with my sweetie. He had never been and fell in love. Not with me. I think he was already was in love with me. He fell in love with WDW. He ran through the tunnels in Tom Sawyer Island, he oohed and ahhhed over Illuminations, he took over 400 pictures. So when free dining came up again in April, I told him we were going again and he was happy. = happy Tony.
I was shocked and amazed at how he started planning this trip. "More time at MGM!" he demanded. "Must get ADRs at Hollywood Brown Derby!" he insisted. I was happy that I was not alone anymore in my Disney freakdom. = happy me
Things went smoothly until June when I started moving in with him in PA. "Who will take care of the bunnies?" he asked. "I cannot leave Mini alone with a stranger." he said. All very good points. We started brainstorming and this is what we discovered.

It is very difficult to find someone willing to take care of both bunnies and a kitty. At first I thought this would be no problem as they all rather take care of themselves. Mini is easy - she's a cat. Feed her in the morning, give her fresh water, pet her head, change her litter. You make her day if you sit down and give her a lap to curl up in. The bunnies live in big, separate cages during the night and are let out to play separately during the day. You feed them veggies in the morning and pellets at night. Lots of water, hay, and a few raisins. Jellybean will let you pet him and Lola will offer you a paper towel roll to play with. All well and good, right? Apparently not.
We were only able to find pet care for one or the other. His friend could stop by once a day to feed Mini and give the rabbits veggies, but couldn't stop by at night for the pellets or to let the bunnies out one at a time. I can't take the chance of letting them out together since Lola tries to make sweet bunny love to Jellybean and Jellybean doesn't not like that. My family in NYC could take the rabbits for the week, but they are allergic to the cat. Boarding was out - the bunnies would freak out and Lola, as a former stray, doesn't like other animals. STRIKE 1

The other factor was his business. Now I run my own business to and know that there are no such things as vacation days. I try my best to schedule students and schools around the trip, but hey, I work hard and deserve to play with Piglet. Tony runs everything from his trusty Mac, but needs to be available to ship books to customers and take phone calls. He managed last year but was getting worried about it since we were having some leaks in the roof. (cue creepy premonition music) STRIKE 2

I start to get worried. The Disney freak I am, I know that I can't leave too much to chance, especially not during free dining. "Keep planning like I am going" he said, as if it were that easy. He reads the DIS now, he knows what it's like! I make his ressie at HBD and plan on attending MNSSHP, but in the back of my mind I have to keep making back up plans. For example, I really don't like MGM. Last time I spent more than 2 hours there was over 10 years ago and reading about all the closing attractions there makes me feel vindicated. I hate drops so avoid ToT like the plague (yes, I went on it back when it first opened and had only one drop. I was so busy being scared I don't recall any effects.) and feel a lot of the attractions I do like (Star Tours and Muppet Vision) need some updating. I was not keeping a ressie at HBD when I could free that up for someone who really wants it and eat instead at Marrakesh in Epcot. But love is a strong emotion and I kept the ressie at HBD while he made up his mind.

Things remained in this weird state until two weeks ago. That's when he decided we should call in someone to have a look at the roof. Along comes Home Depot man, takes one look at our 35 year old roof and asks "That thing is actually still keeping you dry?". Oh dear. We need a completely new roof. New windows upstairs wouldn't hurt either. And while we are at it, we should look into fixing the basement floor so the bunnies have a nicer space down there. Thousands of dollars you say? Now we have a definite problem. Tony sits me down. The conversation went something like this:

Tony: It will cost us almost $8,000 for the roof alone. I can't see spending extra money right now.
Me: I understand, but the trip is almost paid off - less than $100 to go. After that it is just plane tickets.
Tony: New roof. Eight Thousand Dollars.
Me: But you wanted to go to MGM.
Tony: New windows. $3500. Plus Eight Thousand Dollars.
Me: I will pay for your plane ticket. I will pay for separate cat & bunny sitting. I will buy you that M:S jacket you really wanted!!!
Tony: EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Me: This is sucky.
Tony: I am sad.

This brings me up to a week ago, where it was made official that this was a solo trip.
Duty calls. I must make the bunny switch - put Jellybean away and let Lola out. Little do those furry buggers know the role they have played in this. Perhaps if Lola was not interested in bunny love, then I could let them out at the same time. If I could let them out at the same time, then we can find someone to sit them in the house. If we could have found someone to sit them in the house, perhaps I could have found a way around the $8,000 roof. Just perhaps.

coming up later - How the aunt gets involved and why do people feel the need to entertain you when you are perfectly fine on your own.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Oooh, can't wait for the rest of your report!

I know how hard it is to find someone that you trust to care for your pets while you are gone! Someone stopping by to fill their food dish once a day just can't compete with all the love they get when you're at home with them!

Please write more soon! I'm hooked!

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Installment #3 - Why do I feel like I am 4 years old again?

Woke up late today, which isn't too good. The bunnies were waiting for their lettuce, broccoli and carrots. Lola actually gave me a dirty look. Tony had already made the coffee when he got up a couple of hours ago, so the coffee that was left was already a little too cool for me. This resulted in my chugging the morning coffee. This is not good. Caffeine hates me. I discovered this in college when I took one No-Doze (TM) before an 8 am anthropology exam. I did well in the exam, but by noon I was jumping off the walls. My friend who tutored me in music theory at lunchtime thought I was on something. I was - caffeine! I went home and fell asleep for the rest of the day. So one cup of coffee, sipped and enjoyed is good for Kat. Chugging a cup of coffee so you finish it before it gets cold is bad for Kat. My pinky is starting twitch. This will be an interesting trip report. Hopefully it will stay coherent.

9/10/06 - 4 more sleeps till take-off

In a short while I will be calling my beloved Auntie Linda and making some plans for our romp through Disney next weekend. Now let me explain some background. First, she is not technically my aunt. She is actually my cousin. Her and my mom were born a few months apart and were raised together, so she has always been considered an aunt instead of a cousin. Second, she is totally cool. While most aunts are bugging their 12 y.o. neices about playing music too loud, she was introducing me to Led Zepplin, Lynnrd Skynnrd and the Rolling Stones. She let me and my two friends stay at her house for our HS graduation trip to Disney, makes sneaky trips for cookies late at night, and, most importantly, introduced me to Disney at the age of 4. Whenever I am in Orlando, we always meet up for dinner or hanging out at DTD or Citywalk.
Last week when it was official that this was a solo trip, she jumped at the chance to get some quality hang out time. She happily agreed to go to MNSSHP with me and said she would like to spend Sat. and Sun. afternoon with me as well. She is extremely excited about this as am I. But here is the rub. I am 29. I am an adult or at least I try to be. I work, I have resposibilities, heck I have been married, divorced, and am going to be married again. Yet around my family, no matter how hard I try, I am reduced to being a 4 year old. They love me and support me, but I still get the "music is such a tricky business, you should work in an office" and "you have to start thinking about your future - your are not getting any younger" comments. I have read in women's magazines that this is quite common but it still bugs me. Now while Linda has always treated me as more of an adult throughout my life, there are still somethings that make me feel like I am 12. The tickets for MNSSHP are already paid for and I was more than happy to give it to my aunt, but she is insisting on paying for it. I offered to pay for her meal at Coral Reef on Sat. (I am on the Free DDP so paying for her part of the meal won't make kill me or anything.) She insists on paying her way. Now I know she is being nice. I appreciate that she doesn't want to burden me financially. But I would like to treat her to something. I'm an adult, remember? I am almost 30. I can treat my aunt to lunch! Ok, perhaps I am making a mountain out of the proverbial mole hill, but it would mean a lot to me. So I know I will start my solo trip as a confident 29 y.o. woman and by Friday night will be a 12 y.o. awkward tween trying to impress my cool auntie by trying to buy her a Mickey Bar. "Look Linda!! I have money! I'm a big girl. I'M A BIG GIRL!!"

Which brings me to the present. I will be calling the auntie and insisting that she accept the MNSSHP for free. Then I will finally pack. For now, I must run. Flava of Love is on and I have to see if Bootz will make the cut.

Coming up - The Joy! The Rapture! of packing for WDW.

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Thanks for the encouragement and pet sympathy WDW Poly Princess! I promise to keep this thing up to date for you. BTW, I really like your Steve Irwin pic in your signature. I am still so sad over his death.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Are you down to 3 more sleeps now?

Is it too late for me to stow away? I don't eat much! I'm easy to care for!

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Installment #4 - Packing and spa treatments and birthdays, oh my!

Ok, I was already bad. After coming home late from teaching and then having to make dinner, I was too pooped to write my next installment. Sorry, WDW Poly Princess. The good news is I am writing in the morning before I get too tired or forget. So here we go...

9/12/06 - two more sleeps till take off

Yesterday morning I finally got around to packing my Disney suitcase. The suitcase now contains:

1 pair of comfy jeans that look great.
1 pair of khaki capris that have become one size too big from last year.
1 long black "hippie" skirt for hot days in the parks and for dressing up a little.
3 regular tops in black, yellow, and blue
3 disney tops - Piglet, Pooh, and Bambi
1 pair pink pjs for sleeping
1 purple bathing suit
1 sarong cover up
1 top-type cover up for running to refill the refillable mug
the necessary underpinnings for 6 days in the World
1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of Birkenstocks Florida style sandals to be worn on the plane
1 toiletry bag w/assorted cosmetics, jewelry, hair stuff and, unfortunately, eye cream
1 teddy bear plastic cookie jat filled with change to be redeemed at Commerce bank in NYC and then left at the families apt.

I will most likely end up sacrificing the Bambi shirt for a long sleeved fleece just in case. One thing I have learned is the craziness of Disney weather at this time of year. During the day you are dying of heat exhaustion and then have to wear flannel pjs to bed to keep from freezing. Why would others need to know what I packed? I don't know, but I always have a strange fascination with what others pack for the World. For example bedding, cleaning supplies, particular brands of socks, electrical appliances. I thought of bringing an extra sheet from home after reading the bedspread threads, but didn't want to take up the extra room. I also tried to buy a pair of Crocs this year. I thought I would wear them with my Halloween costume which will be a pair of pjs that I have yet to buy (Good planning Kat! ) I found these awesome silver ones, but only in the Beach style and if you have size 10 feet, I do not need shoes that will make them look bigger. I tried to special order them in Cayman but couldn't find them, so gave up. I figure that little jar of eye cream will be my one indulgence. And WDW Poly Princess, there should be room for you. If you can make it to NYC by tomorrow, I will try to fit you in between the Disney tops and the toiletry bag!

Now that I am packed and ready, I consider today the first day of vacation although I don't leave till Thursday and actually have to teach a lesson tomorrow. In honor of the occasion, I have booked a spa treatment today at a local day spa. In two hours I will be having a facial and massage followed by some quality time in the sauna. I had originally planned to spend Friday morning at a Disney spa but those prices have gone up waaayyyy to much since my massage at CSR a few years ago. For the same price as a Disney massage, I get to spend 3 hours being pampered here. I tried to get my lil sis to join me as a birthday gift as she turns the big 1-9 tomorrow, but she said she would rather get new makeup. So instead of a facial, I will take her to CVS where she can pick out whatever eye liners and lipsticks she wants. At her age I would have jumped at a spa treatment, but she is cute like that.

Ok, enough for today. I must get ready for my pampering!

Coming up - going pajama shopping and surviving my sister's 19th birthday.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Are you back yet? Don't leave us hanging!

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Hi WDW Poly Princess! I am back and hope to write a trip report shortly. Right now, I am writing up my dining reviews over on the Dining Reviews board. As soon as I am done with that, I shall start working on the trip report! Thanks for following the report!