~ A PTR for a CAMPING Trip That Might Never Be ~ *TR Started (link inside)*

[blue_river]

I MADE IT!!!!

YAHOOTY!!!!



but I'm not caught up yet


You still luv me though? eh? right? heh heh

 

[carissanboys]

Good for you! Just stinks that you have been trained to have low expectations.... . I guess the good thing about it is that if you get assigned someplace great you'll be really excited! Have a great weekend!

I spent the weekend and yesterday (boys and Chuck had a snow day) completely rearranging/decluttering our living room. I keep looking around the house and I have so many ideas of what I want to do with the place if we end up staying here. Now I just need to know for sure!

Well, Carissa, it took me eleven months but I'm finally here!!

I'm going back to the beginning so I will see you later, much...

Kathy! Glad you're here.

A visitor huh?? Hmmmm...

RATS I was hoping it was me being invited!

Of course you're invited!

Kathy, you even leave cliffhangers in other people's PTR's .

Carissa, good luck on the orders. Your trip is so close now, you must be so excited!!

We are!

everytime I see "the visitor" I think of a monthly visitor......

Not the kind I'm referring to.

A visitor?? Could that mean what I think it means!!! If so, I hope he doesn't show up in my PR too! I have my hands full!!

It took me a while to figure out what you meant, but no - no pregnancy here!! That would be a true surprise since Chuck had a vasectomy after Connor was born!

I MADE IT!!!!

YAHOOTY!!!!



but I'm not caught up yet


You still luv me though? eh? right? heh heh

Even if you don't get caught up at all I have lots of luv for ya. Just pick up from here. The PTR won't be too much longer anyway! Glad you're here Heidi. And I love the picture in your signature.

 

[CruisingCamper]

What a Surprise!!! We will not be at WDW with you guys Carissa! We are leaving NEXT Wednesday, we had to change it all on very short notice! I just got through making all those dining ressies AGAIN!!! But, I didn't get Chef Mickey's, Cali Grill, or Crystal Palace. I knew I probably wouldn't when we moved the trip up two weeks! DH wants to go snow skiing again this year, and he was running out of ski season..so we bumped the WDW trip up and he's going skiing first week of April.

The days of our lives!@!! Now, I have ONE week to get ready!!!!!!!

 

[carissanboys]

What a Surprise!!! We will not be at WDW with you guys Carissa! We are leaving NEXT Wednesday, we had to change it all on very short notice! I just got through making all those dining ressies AGAIN!!! But, I didn't get Chef Mickey's, Cali Grill, or Crystal Palace. I knew I probably wouldn't when we moved the trip up two weeks! DH wants to go snow skiing again this year, and he was running out of ski season..so we bumped the WDW trip up and he's going skiing first week of April.

The days of our lives!@!! Now, I have ONE week to get ready!!!!!!!

Wow!! How exciting! So that means you won't be there for your birthday?

 

[Goofster57]

Hey Carissa,

Finally got caught up, just in time for the trip report to start

Did you get as leash for the guest your taking?

 

[carissanboys]

Hey Carissa,

Finally got caught up, just in time for the trip report to start

Did you get as leash for the guest your taking?

Uh oh - is he going to be that difficult to control???

 

[Goofster57]

Uh oh - is he going to be that difficult to control???

I've heard rumors

 

[liznboys]

heehee, I love all the mystery about the visitor...

Happy March 3rd C, only 3.5 weeks to go, right?!?! What a fun month for you...spring begins, your BIRTHDAY, and WDW!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I think I know who the surprise visitor is.

 

[carissanboys]

I've heard rumors

Well, then you need to come along too! I need someone to keep him in line. I have my hands full with the boys.

heehee, I love all the mystery about the visitor...

Happy March 3rd C, only 3.5 weeks to go, right?!?! What a fun month for you...spring begins, your BIRTHDAY, and WDW!

Did you guys get some snow?? I'm not sure how much we got, but it's still around. Probably not for long though.

I think I know who the surprise visitor is.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

You're gonna tell us who the visitor is soon, right??????

 

[liznboys]

Did you guys get some snow?? I'm not sure how much we got, but it's still around. Probably not for long though.

We did get snow. Around 2 inches I think. We had our 3rd snow day of the year and then 2 hour delay today (pretty much like you guys). I hope we're done with snow now! I'm ready for spring! Looks like it's going to be in the 70's this weekend.

 

[blue_river]

Even if you don't get caught up at all I have lots of luv for ya. Just pick up from here. The PTR won't be too much longer anyway! Glad you're here Heidi. And I love the picture in your signature.

Aww...shucks...you're the bestest

Hey Carissa,

Finally got caught up, just in time for the trip report to start

Did you get as leash for the guest your taking?

I think I know who the surprise visitor is.

 

[scottny]

Hi,
All caught up. You are really close now. Can't wait to hear all about it. It will be a great tirp.

 

[carissanboys]

You're gonna tell us who the visitor is soon, right??????

I'd like to wait until he arrives so I can be sure he'll be here in time to make the trip.

We did get snow. Around 2 inches I think. We had our 3rd snow day of the year and then 2 hour delay today (pretty much like you guys). I hope we're done with snow now! I'm ready for spring! Looks like it's going to be in the 70's this weekend.

We're suppose to be in the 50's/60's this weekend. I want all of it to melt quickly!!

Aww...shucks...you're the bestest

Hi,
All caught up. You are really close now. Can't wait to hear all about it. It will be a great tirp.

I can't wait for the TR! I see you're taking a trip to Europe this year! I'm very jealous.

 

[carissanboys]

Since I don't really have anything new to share with you, I thought I would repost something from my last PTR that is also fitting in this one. It will be new to some of you and the rest of you can just skip over it. At the end I will add some new comments.

Who does the driving in your family (when you're all together, that is)? I would imagine the majority of households have the husband/father doing most of the driving. I know men usually like to be in charge of their machines. In our family, things are done a tad differently.

~ Carissa's Tips for Driving to Disney World ~

1) Carissa must do most of the driving.

My husband did not get his license and begin driving until he was 21. My husband does not have a great reputation as a driver (ask his military buddies ). My husband has been in a few accidents . Therefore, I tend to complain about his driving when I'm in the passenger seat. This tends to make my husband a smidge angry . In order to keep peace during our long drive to DW, I will do most of the driving.


2) Carissa is not allowed to drink much during the drive.

Normally I have a cup of coffee every morning . When I know we are going to be traveling, I will forego my cup o' joe. Do you know what coffee does? It's a diuretic (in layman's terms, it makes you pee). My bladder is about the size of a thimble to begin with . If I drink coffee or water (who am I kidding? if I even think about liquid!), we will be stopping every five minutes to find a restroom . My boys all have great holding abilities. The pee breaks are for moi. However, we have been known to use an empty water bottle for my DS5 if we couldn't make it to a bathroom in time.

3) The DVD player/stereo system MUST be in working order.

I really don't mind the drive to Florida. As I mentioned before, the DVD player runs non-stop during our trip and the trip passes quite pleasantly . We've recently begun having issues with our stereo/cd player. It keeps seizing up on us. Thankfully, dh has figured out how to reboot it and we've also figured out the main issue is the cd player. But, if this machine stops working on our trip, we're screwed .


4) The two older boys will be receiving Game Boys for Christmas .

I will admit that part of my reasoning behind this gift was thinking about the drive down to Florida. If the DVD player/stereo does indeed stop working, we have a back up plan. Our youngest has a Leapster. Perhaps we could possibly survive a DVD malfunction .

5) If all heck breaks loose and the crying/screaming/fighting/bickering/whining begins, imagine yourself on a deserted beach with Cap'n Jack Sparrow . You can pretend the noise escalating in your van is actually the sound of tropical birds playing a concert for just the two of you. Put the window down a bit and let the breeze blow through your hair as you imagine the wind off the waves lightly blowing sand over your entwined bodies...​

(play the sound of a needle being dragged across a record)

Ahhh, yes. Back to reality.

I really do enjoy driving places . I prefer driving new routes so that everything I see is new and exciting. But, knowing our travels will be taking us closer to Disney World makes it all worth it. It really isn't that bad. We'll have a few moments here and there of difficulties, but overall, really not bad.

I don't plan on bringing a ton of items for the boys, besides movies and the electronic gaming devices. They really won't do much more than that anyway. Dh and I will bring our iPods and a book for when we're not driving. I will probably bring a notebook and pen as well to jot down ideas and takes notes along the way (so that I can remember to write about them once I return!). We'll have snacks, of course .

We do stop every 2-3 hours (if not sooner for moi to pee) just so everyone can stretch and we'll do lunch somewhere quick. I'm looking forward to seeing the crazy signage along I95 in NC, SC and Georgia.

We've driven a lot with these kids. We regularly travel 2 hours up to Pennsylvania to visit my in-laws (that's a drop in the hat, though). Earlier this year I traveled by myself with the boys to Maine to visit my family. That took me 10 hours each way (I made great time ). I was amazed at how well that trip went. While we were living in Australia, we drove from Alice Springs to Kangaroo Island (that means nothing to most of you). That was well over 20 hours (and actually, you can't drive to Kangaroo Island...you take a ferry for part of the way).

I'd say we're seasoned travelers with our children. If anyone ever has any questions on plane or car travel with young children and long distances, I'm your lady .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, do these driving tips still apply today?? Well, my bladder has not grown in size so my rule of not drinking much on travel days is still in place. Sully said to me recently that no one has as small a bladder as me.

The DVD player works just fine (still can't listen to CDs without it messing up on us) and the boys have their Gameboys. On our last trip I ended up forgetting my iPod at home and was forced to listen to Sully's iPod. That will NOT happen this time!

The one thing that has perhaps changed is who does the driving. I have learned over the last year that it is sometimes good to learn to let go a bit as a wife. All of my life I have had the idea that I am very independent and can do anything that a man can do (well, within reason of course!). That means I tend to take on many of the typical "manly" jobs. Chuck and I will be celebrating our ten year wedding anniversary this May and along with that has come a bit of wisdom. Are you ready for it??

Men need to feel like they're providing for and taking of their families.

And the real kicker??

I actually LIKE being taken care of by my husband.

So, along with my new discoveries and theories, I have tried letting go and allow Chuck to do more of the driving - especially on long trips. I've figured out if I put my nose into a book and listen to my music, I can ignore most of the driving issues that I use to complain about. And the time passes quickly.

Up Next - Mysterious Visitor Revealed

 

[MeMom]

We're still here and waiting. You don't have to do much to keep me happy. Just throw us a picture of the boys and the countdown calendar every once in a while and I'll be thrilled!

DVD players, CD players, hand-held games.... definitely those have become needs on trips, not just wants.

 

[carissanboys]

We're still here and waiting. You don't have to do much to keep me happy. Just throw us a picture of the boys and the countdown calendar every once in a while and I'll be thrilled!

I'll be sure to take some pictures of the boys putting stickers on our calendar and post them.

DVD players, CD players, hand-held games.... definitely those have become needs on trips, not just wants.

Definitely!

 

[Charleston Princess]

You and I are a lot alike in our driving needs!!!

I have a hard time relinquishing control over to Charles because he drives really fast and it always makes me nervous.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I love the driving post! My husband has a real aversion to driving long distances. About 7 hours is all he can take! Any further than that and we will be flying!

He does most of the driving when we do go anywhere. I always offer to help, but he HATES sitting in the passenger seat and doing nothing so more often than not, HE drives. Ok, by me! I can't read in the car so I tend to put on the Ipod and sleep!

The DVD player in our van recently decided to stop working. That's going to have to be fixed before May because I think we are headed to NH to see his sister. Hmmm....wonder how much that repair will set us back?!

Great lesson to learn...Husbands need that sense that they are the provider! I've been married almost 17 years and still learning it....for those of us with control issues (and you know who you are! ) it's a tough one to put into practice!

LOVE the part about Captain Jack! Aaaahhhh....a deserted island and Johnny Depp....what more could a girl ask for!!