A Overplanner's Pre-Trip Report

[CatNipRules]

Thanks for all the well wishes on Buddy. He's sleeping in his crate and relaxing.

Well, they released the menus for the Food & Wine Festival today!! I am in love with quite a few of them. Some of them I won't be able to eat because of my shellfish allergies.

I'm loving the Belgium menu. And some of the wines are heavenly not to mention the chocolate and strawberry foam from the Desserts & Champagne menu. The France menu is interesting. There is actually something on pretty much every menu that I want to try. If they taste as yummy as they look, then I'm going to be doing a lot of walking to work off the calories. LOL!

 

[CatNipRules]

Well, rats! I totally meant to write, "what will make them [your DH & DS] most comfortable is having you along." I must have been up past my bedtime last night, seriously.



Yeah, I could lay down the law, and it'd happen, but to be honest I don't care enough to bother. Plus I just about never wear t-shirts to the parks myself anyhow; woven shirts just seem more comfortable.



Ballet Girl has decided, since I scheduled the vacation so she'd miss too many classes if she did this thing neither one of us knew word one about beforehand (I did admittedly push her days off right up to the brink), I now owe her major chocolate for having to choose between vacationing with us and going to the other thingie. The other vacation she missed was totally Geek dad's fault -- I told him if he changed the vacation dates, that meant she'd be missing too many days, but he decided he was going to will the time into existence or something -- and she got a lot of candy loot out of that, too!

She doesn't buy a lot of candy for herself, but, boy, if she can con somebody else into doing it, she is right there!



I like that idea, but then I remember you (or I, or whoever) would be going to different parks every day... A series of pics on one shirt?

SeaWorld son went on a sleepover once, and I forgot to warn his hostess that the kid can go through a gallon of milk a day, easy. Anytime you offer him a drink, it's always, "Got milk?" I keep trying to convince him that it is impolite to demand milk when you have just been offered water, tea, or whatever, but he doesn't buy it, because his father is almost as bad (Geek dad is usually fine with water but will request milk with anything chocolate). He and his friend spent a lot of time playing Legend of Zelda, which is one of his big faves, and his friends' mom shortly thereafter gifted him with a shirt with Link drinking something on it, and the words, "Got Milk?" Everyone who knows SeaWorld son cracks up the first time they see it, but the rest of the world is all

I secretly fear that half the shirts I'd like to do would be equally baffling.

That's too funny about your DS and milk. I can't get my son to drink milk even if I tried. That is a very cute shirt idea!! LOL!!

I found this picture and wanted to share it with you. This is DS at the Old Key West Dolphin show. He was five at the time and fell in love with the dolphins....

 

[BearcatsFan]

Thanks for all the well wishes on Buddy. He's sleeping in his crate and relaxing.

Well, they released the menus for the Food & Wine Festival today!! I am in love with quite a few of them. Some of them I won't be able to eat because of my shellfish allergies.

I'm loving the Belgium menu. And some of the wines are heavenly not to mention the chocolate and strawberry foam from the Desserts & Champagne menu. The France menu is interesting. There is actually something on pretty much every menu that I want to try. If they taste as yummy as they look, then I'm going to be doing a lot of walking to work off the calories. LOL!

I'm so jealous that you're getting to go during F&W! All the years I've been going to WDW and we've *never* gone during F&W. I hope you have an amazing time!

 

[shalom]

Glad to hear Buddy is home and resting. Hope he's up and about, soon.

Well, the doctor gave us an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic and it cost me $66.

I can't remember -- did you say you were using CareCredit? That's what we've used with our cats when we had emergency surgery. Once you sign up with it, you can borrow however much for pet care, dentist, maybe optometrist, and if you pay it off within six months, it's same as cash. If you don't pay it off in six months, you'll get socked with major interest, though. But we have a cat who has a talent for running up the vet bills, and being able to stretch it out a bit is a real lifesaver sometimes.

I did see some cute little ear ornaments that I want to get while we are on vacation.

I totally translated that to "earrings" in my brain. Clicked on the link and didn't see at all what I expected.

Well, my article for my TA's web site is nearly ready to be published.

If you don't publish the link here, I would be honored if you'd send me the address in a PM.

So, yes, the secret is out. I'm a writer of fan fiction. Mostly Bones, but I've written lots of other stuff.

We do not watch broadcast TV to speak off, and I've not looked into Bones before. Two sentences into the Wiki, I fear I'm doomed to track it down and check it out.

I'm awfully close to stream of consciousness on my trip report thread as well. There's a Flaubert quote that often applies to me -- "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." I tend to ramble on; if I have time, I tighten it up, but if I get rushed, I just leave it all out there.

I can't get my son to drink milk even if I tried.

We're a huge milk-drinking family, but SeaWorld Son is by far the worst. But when we first got married, Geek dad could go through a gallon of milk pretty fast, too, depending on what else he was doing. He would get leg cramps if he didn't drink enough milk! So that was a craving he indulged!

How cute is your son there! I'm not familiar with the Old Key West Dolphin show, unless my brain is blanking, but it looks like they had him help direct the dolphins? We did take SeaWorld son down to the Indy zoo to see the dolphins when he was younger; he thought they were fine, but not orcas. Although I'm thinking if could have gotten up and interacted with them, dolphins would be higher on his List of Keen Critters.

Maybe not, though. Before it was orcas for SeaWorld son, it was zebras, and Mr. Cool was major into penguins as a little one; don't know what the big thrill is about black and white animals and those two.

 

[CatNipRules]

Love your shirts!!!

I hope Buddy is feeling better soon!!

Thanks! I love my shirts they are going to be great for wearing in the park.

Thanks for the well wishes for Buddy! He's going to hate me by the end of this whole thing. LOL!!

Cute shirts!

Hope Buddy feels better soon!

Thanks!! And Buddy Thanks you to!!

I'm so jealous that you're getting to go during F&W! All the years I've been going to WDW and we've *never* gone during F&W. I hope you have an amazing time!

You really should go there once during the F&W festival. It's lots of fun and to be honest totally worth it. It makes going to Epcot even better than it normally is. And we love Epcot anyways. LOL!!

Glad to hear Buddy is home and resting. Hope he's up and about, soon.

Thanks. The worst part is that he tries to bite and lick the staples and that's a big no, no. So, we were using a plastic cone. Well, my dog is apparently very smart because he figured out that if he moved his head a certain way then he could get around the cone. LOL! So, we had to buy a muzzle for him. He can't open his mouth wide enough to get around it. LOL!!

I can't remember -- did you say you were using CareCredit? That's what we've used with our cats when we had emergency surgery. Once you sign up with it, you can borrow however much for pet care, dentist, maybe optometrist, and if you pay it off within six months, it's same as cash. If you don't pay it off in six months, you'll get socked with major interest, though. But we have a cat who has a talent for running up the vet bills, and being able to stretch it out a bit is a real lifesaver sometimes.

Our vet doesn't use CareCredit. They do offer payment options, but we didn't want to go that route because they charge interest and it's crazy. We are quickly coming to the end of our rope because it's starting to get expensive at this point. Thank goodness we have our trip paid for. Because I'm starting to panic. It figures that it all happens right after I get put on part time. Luckily DH has a good job, but this is all starting to wear on me.

I totally translated that to "earrings" in my brain. Clicked on the link and didn't see at all what I expected.

LOL!! That is funny!!

If you don't publish the link here, I would be honored if you'd send me the address in a PM.

I'm not sure if I can post it here or not. I'm not sure that they would appreciate me posting it for another travel site. LOL! I will surely PM it to you and others.

We do not watch broadcast TV to speak off, and I've not looked into Bones before. Two sentences into the Wiki, I fear I'm doomed to track it down and check it out.

I watch mostly stuff on Discover channel and the Travel channel. However, I do watch Bones regularly. I've watched it from the beginning. Ha! It's a really interesting show. Be warned, it's very, very easy to get hooked!! LOL!!

How cute is your son there! I'm not familiar with the Old Key West Dolphin show, unless my brain is blanking, but it looks like they had him help direct the dolphins? We did take SeaWorld son down to the Indy zoo to see the dolphins when he was younger; he thought they were fine, but not orcas. Although I'm thinking if could have gotten up and interacted with them, dolphins would be higher on his List of Keen Critters.

Maybe not, though. Before it was orcas for SeaWorld son, it was zebras, and Mr. Cool was major into penguins as a little one; don't know what the big thrill is about black and white animals and those two.

That picture was taken when he was 5. It was about 10 years ago and I'm not sure if the show is still going on or not anymore. But, yes. He directed the show and then one of the crew pretended to be his "dad" and fell into the water and then came up out of the water riding between two dolphins. Chris was fine until he got splashed. LOL!! Then he started running away.

He actually loves penguins!! We live about 2 hours from the Chattanooga aquarium and we go there a few times a week. He could spend all day in the penguin exhibit and still not get bored.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Michelle - how the heck did I get so far behind? Awww.. glad to hear Buddy is resting comfortably!

What an absolutely adorable photo of your DS when he was little. I recently had a nostalgic moment and went back to photos of my boys from 24+ years ago for my recent PTR update. Time goes so quickly.....

Glad that the F&W offerings are appealing. I would LOVE to go to WDW during that sometime.

Sending you hugs and well wishes for you flight anxiety. If I think about it too much it can wierd me out as well. After flying many many times my DH still has the jitters when flying so I just hold his hand and talk about all that we will do when we arrive at our destination.

Take care!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Had to at Buddy figuring out how to get around the plastic cone. When we had our border collie neutered, he figured out if he caught the cone against the table leg, he could get around it to mess with the stiches.

How's the walking going with your DH?

 

[CatNipRules]

Had to at Buddy figuring out how to get around the plastic cone. When we had our border collie neutered, he figured out if he caught the cone against the table leg, he could get around it to mess with the stiches.

How's the walking going with your DH?

It sounds like he's just as smart as Buddy!! I swear my dog makes me smile. He seems to know just when I need some extra TLC. That's why this whole surgery is so hard on me. Buddy is so special to me I hate to see him in pain.

The walking is coming along slowly. We are walking a little bit more each night. We are going to walk over to the elementary school tonight and walk around the track. I want to walk more and more each day. Because I want to be up to walking at Disney.

 

[BearcatsFan]

SO proud of you with the walking! Baby steps, my friend. Don't worry about how much or how far, just DO IT!

Hope Buddy is on the road to recovery now. There's nothing quite like the devotion of a dog, is there?

 

[CatNipRules]

SO proud of you with the walking! Baby steps, my friend. Don't worry about how much or how far, just DO IT!

Hope Buddy is on the road to recovery now. There's nothing quite like the devotion of a dog, is there?

Thanks!! How is your walking going?? It's definitely all about the baby steps. LOL!! I want to be in better shape for our trip and 2 months out is definitely a good start.

I have a feeling that this was what they needed to do to get him back on his feet. He's already walking better and acting more like himself. Barking at everything that moves outside. LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

Hi Michelle - how the heck did I get so far behind? Awww.. glad to hear Buddy is resting comfortably!

What an absolutely adorable photo of your DS when he was little. I recently had a nostalgic moment and went back to photos of my boys from 24+ years ago for my recent PTR update. Time goes so quickly.....

Glad that the F&W offerings are appealing. I would LOVE to go to WDW during that sometime.

Sending you hugs and well wishes for you flight anxiety. If I think about it too much it can wierd me out as well. After flying many many times my DH still has the jitters when flying so I just hold his hand and talk about all that we will do when we arrive at our destination.

Take care!

You are getting closer and closer to your trip. That's how. LOL!! I wish I was that close to our trip.

I loved the pictures of your sons. I've been watching old videos of our Disney trips and I can't help but smile. Chris has changed so much and it makes me sad sometimes, but I'm also happy. LOL!!

I'm just trying not too think about it too much. I know that everything will be fine, but I just worry about everything. LOL! I'm a worrywart at heart and I don't think that will ever change.

 

[ellie05]

I just read your PTR!

Those are cute!

Not much else going on trip wise. I'm just trying to pass the time by reading

That is cute and you are brave there is no way I could do that. Needles freak me out.

Poor buddy I am glad he is feeling better after the surgery. Is so hard to find someone you can trust with your fur babies while on vacation. I am glad you don't have to deal with your sister it seems it will be more peaceful that way and hey you get more shopping money . My brother in law sounds like yours thanks god my DH refuses to give him anything. Well that is from the first and last time he "borrow" money from us.

 

[CatNipRules]

I just read your PTR!



Those are cute!



That is cute and you are brave there is no way I could do that. Needles freak me out.

Poor buddy I am glad he is feeling better after the surgery. Is so hard to find someone you can trust with your fur babies while on vacation. I am glad you don't have to deal with your sister it seems it will be more peaceful that way and hey you get more shopping money . My brother in law sounds like yours thanks god my DH refuses to give him anything. Well that is from the first and last time he "borrow" money from us.

Thanks for joining in!!

I'm not brave, I just love Ariel so..... It's my 4th tattoo so it is easier. LOL!!

It is so hard to find someone to take care of my furbaby. I'm very nervous about leaving him again. Although I know that this place is 1000% better than the last place. No concrete floors. They give him lots of TLC time and they make sure that he won't stress his knee. He's going to be pampered like he is at home.

My BIL is a piece of work. He annoys me to no end. To be quite honest if it was up to me I would never talk to him again. But he is DH's brother and as such I have to be a bit nice to him. LOL!!

 

[shalom]

I'm not sure if I can post it here or not. I'm not sure that they would appreciate me posting it for another travel site.

Yeah, I have read the rules and I've even gone back and reread them a time or two when puzzling over this or that, but I'm not always sure either.

I watch mostly stuff on Discover channel and the Travel channel.

That and the History channel is what I would probably watch most left to myself, however what I most watch with my mom and the kids is the Food channel.

We technically have cable TV coming in, but we've never hooked it up. We figure we waste enough time on the Internet, don't need the TV going, too!

Be warned, it's very, very easy to get hooked!! LOL!!

Probably too late. I remember now that it's supposed to be popular with Castle fans, and we're huge Castle fans, so I had been very carefully avoiding it all this time, but then I went and read the Wiki...

if the show is still going on or not anymore.

Yah, I could tell it had been a while so I'm guessing not.

Chris was fine until he got splashed. LOL!! Then he started running away.

That's excellent. What a fun memory.

He actually loves penguins!! We live about 2 hours from the Chattanooga aquarium and we go there a few times a week. He could spend all day in the penguin exhibit and still not get bored.

Hmm. Maybe boys are into penguins the way girls are into horses, only for some strange reason it's not culturally recognized or supported.

It is so hard to find someone to take care of my furbaby. I'm very nervous about leaving him again.

We get pet sitters rather than putting the cats in a kennel, but I really think some people who take care of animals view it as a service, a vocation, while others are just in the money making business. Our cat lady sometimes takes one of the dogs she's "housesitting" around with her in her jeep when she does her rounds, just because she knows the dog gets nervous going without people for too long! She has rescued stray dogs she saw by the road on her trip from one customer to another and, in one case, gone to great lengths to find their owners, too.

I hope you found people like that this time.

 

[CatNipRules]

Yeah, I have read the rules and I've even gone back and reread them a time or two when puzzling over this or that, but I'm not always sure either.

I would rather be safe than sorry. I got kicked off another Disney web site because of something that wasn't in the rules and now I refuse to go back there.

That and the History channel is what I would probably watch most left to myself, however what I most watch with my mom and the kids is the Food channel.

We watch the History channel too. And the food channel. Even though I can't cook to save my life. LOL! I'm always finding good ideas for my husband on things to cook.

Probably too late. I remember now that it's supposed to be popular with Castle fans, and we're huge Castle fans, so I had been very carefully avoiding it all this time, but then I went and read the Wiki...

Bones is like my worst addiction. Other than Disney! I'm already dreading the Season 8 return. I'm also trying to figure out how I'm going to watch the episode while I'm on vacation. Yeah, I'm that addicted. LOL!! I love it to death but the season finale nearly killed me. I cried like crazy.

I've watched a lot of Castle, but need to watch it from the beginning. LOL!!

Hmm. Maybe boys are into penguins the way girls are into horses, only for some strange reason it's not culturally recognized or supported.

I'm sure that not all boys are into penguins. I think it's just a select few. Chris has always loved sea creatures though.

We get pet sitters rather than putting the cats in a kennel, but I really think some people who take care of animals view it as a service, a vocation, while others are just in the money making business. Our cat lady sometimes takes one of the dogs she's "housesitting" around with her in her jeep when she does her rounds, just because she knows the dog gets nervous going without people for too long! She has rescued stray dogs she saw by the road on her trip from one customer to another and, in one case, gone to great lengths to find their owners, too.

I hope you found people like that this time.

The only hard thing about pet sitters is that we live in a very small town. It's hard to find someone that I trust to watch my furbaby.

Buddy doesn't do good in the car. He has serious panic attacks. Which is why we avoid taking him in the car unless absolutely possible.

the place that we are taking him this time is a pet resort. They don't let him out with other dogs. No concrete. Grass only. His knee condition is noted on the sheet and his diet is carefully monitored. I'm confident that he will be taken care of. Or relatively confident. I'm actually very nervous......

 

[shalom]

I've watched a lot of Castle, but need to watch it from the beginning. .

Castle (the character) is really irritating at the beginning, IMHO, but I loved Stana Katic's character and hung in there. I've gotten ticked with the show a time or two since but I hardly ever stick with any show this long so obviously not that ticked.

I'm sure that not all boys are into penguins. I think it's just a select few.

I'm sure you're right, but it's interesting our boys share that interest!

I'm confident that he will be taken care of. Or relatively confident. I'm actually very nervous......

Understandable. The only thing I really dislike about traveling is I worry about the cats, and it's harder to leave a dog than cats, IMHO. And I definitely miss the cats a lot sooner than I miss anything else about home.

 

[CatNipRules]

Castle (the character) is really irritating at the beginning, IMHO, but I loved Stana Katic's character and hung in there. I've gotten ticked with the show a time or two since but I hardly ever stick with any show this long so obviously not that ticked.




I'm sure you're right, but it's interesting our boys share that interest!





Understandable. The only thing I really dislike about traveling is I worry about the cats, and it's harder to leave a dog than cats, IMHO. And I definitely miss the cats a lot sooner than I miss anything else about home.

I secretly think that's one of the reasons why Chris wants to go to Sea World. To see the penguins. He says that it isn't, but I'm sure that it is. LOL!!

LOL!! I think that cats would be fine with putting some food down and changing the litter every once in awhile. My cats were always like that. They could care less about me mostly. Only when they wanted food first thing in the morning. LOL!

 

[CatNipRules]

Got a few things done for our trip. Shirts are packed. Mousekeeper envelopes are filled and packed.

Has anyone else downloaded an app for their iPod or iPad? I did and it is awesome! At least for me. Of course my husband thinks that I'm insane. Why? Well, because I keep checking the app and telling him, "Look, there's only a 5 minute wait on Dumbo. Or look at this...." I think he's tuning me out. LOL!

It's called "My Disney Experience." You can even make dining reservations anywhere in the park with the app.

The talk is that this is going to be the start of the Next Generation for the Fast Pass. Cause the Magic Kingdom now has wifi in the park. My DH is totally happy about this. LOL!!

My husband is a techno nerd.... LOL!! I told him that he is most definitely not allowed to bring his google laptop into the park. No exceptions. LOL! I threatened to lock it in my suitcase if he even thinks about it.

Missed going walking tonight. Why? I fell asleep and DH didn't wake me up until it was already dark. I love my husband, but it made me sad.


I think Buddy is feeling better. He's starting to walk better than he has been in the past few days. He's also not favoring the leg that he had the pin in. The bone was healing when he did the x-ray so things are looking up. I'm glad. I hate it when I think he's in pain. It makes me so sad.

There are two things you don't mess with in my life. My son and my dog. See, we got Buddy was he had barely opened his eyes. Yes, he's a mutt. Yes, he's not the smartest dog in the world, but I love him just like he has a pedigree. In some ways, he's my best friend. Because he loves me no matter how much I screw up. He knows when I'm sad and he licks my face. I don't care either. I love those puppy kisses. Just thinking about him being hurt kills me. I know it's crazy and some people will say that he's just a dog, but to me he's my baby. Just like my son is.

I think leaving him with someone else that might not love him as much as me is what is driving me crazy. Yeah, we checked out the place where we are leaving him, but after our last experience we are very worried about him.

Oh, I think I forgot to post this about the place where he's staying. There are three different levels for us to choose from. We picked the villas. Why? Well, they are the biggest and they have a tv and a web cam. So we can check on him any time of day. Not only that, but TLC time is included in the price of the boarding.

 

[BearcatsFan]

We haven't downloaded any apps for our phones ... because they are dumb phones and not smart at all. The one you got sounds cool!

Don't worry too much about missing one night of walking. Brush it off and start over today!

Glad to hear Buddy is feeling better every day. It is hard to watch our furbabies suffer. The place you're leaving him sounds very nice! I love that TLC time is built in. It sounds like you found a place that will care about him and love him almost as much as you do!

 

[shalom]

My cats were always like that. They could care less about me mostly.

That's what Geek dad said about the cats they had when he was a kid. Once he said, "You know, before I met you, I never knew cats had personalities!"

I don't think they're as unhappy as single dogs left home alone, but our cats definitely miss us, and make it clear before we go and when we get back. Normally they have each other for company at least, but I'll be telling a tale on one of them when I get to our 2011 trip. Although I gotta say, her lonliness was mostly her own fault.

In some ways, he's my best friend. Because he loves me no matter how much I screw up. He knows when I'm sad and he licks my face. I don't care either. I love those puppy kisses. Just thinking about him being hurt kills me. I know it's crazy and some people will say that he's just a dog, but to me he's my baby. Just like my son is.

Most pets are family, IMHO. Well, I'm not so sure about boas and other reptiles, and I confess I've never had a particularly personal relationship with any of my fish. But even there you have a responsibility to them just like you have to family members. With fish and reptiles, that's usually all there is, but with cats and dogs and other critters, it's totally reciprocal -- in terms of love, yes, but in terms of caring, even a kind of parental caring, too. I've had cats bringing me food, and even trying to teach me how to hunt, so I could fend for myself if they weren't there!

My father firmly disapproved of the food offerings, but his response to my one cat bringing me a live mouse to practice with was hilarious. The mouse escaped under my bedroom door and when I opened my door I saw it zipping into my brother's bedroom, but I couldn't find it there and gave up, however a few minutes later my brother wandered out with a big boot he said the mouse was in, and my dad just about lost it. Never seen him so unnerved. For a minute there, I thought sure he was going to jump up on a chair!

I took the boot outside and released the mouse in a field and between that and my dad's yelling, my cat decided I was a lost cause, I think, because that was the end of her trying to convince me I ought to be honing my hunting skills. But her intentions were good.

My mom had a tonkinese who used to lecture her when she got back -- she'd call to tell me they'd gotten home, and the whole conversation you could hear him complaining in the background. He'd pace the length of the house doing it, so it'd get louder and softer. He'd do the same thing in the fall when it started to get too cold for him to stay out long enough to suit him. And apparently he complained the entire trip when they moved from Colorado to Michigan. (Whenever we've moved, my cats either didn't complain or would give up after twenty minutes or so -- but they aren't half Siamese, of course). He was a pain, but he also had his charms, like all beloved pets.