A trip report??? Um, no. Well....alright, I'll give it a shot...

[mommaU4]

Beth those pancakes are too cute !!!! and they don't look like frankenstein either




Those shirts are really cute, I especially like Noelle's Mickey one, i've never seen one like that before !


How did you get an enchanted phone call ?? can you arrange for Donald to give me a buzz

Thanks about the pancakes.

The shirts were all from JCPenneys. The one in MI. Not sure if they all carry the same items though and this was months ago so I'm sure they are gone now. But I thought they were cute and cheap too. LOL Compared to the ones at Disney anyways.

Just what kind of buzz do you want from Donald????

On second thought, don't go there. This is the DIS after all.

The Enchanted Phone Calls are $2.49 a call and they can be found here:
https://secure.uvoxnetworks.com/disney/affhome.html?affno=66

It's a really cute idea, especially for little kids. Or adults who act like kids.

 

[mommaU4]

Sounds like maybe YOU should go to a character breakfast and leave the others at the hotel.

Well, I must say the thought had crossed my mind!! I wonder how they would feel about a 30-something year old showing up alone and demanding tons of pics and autographs??

Umm, maybe I'd better not.

So what character breakfast are you doing???
I cant wait for Lilo and Stitch in December, on Christmas morning.
ahh RFC, I went there in April when I was in Vegas, it was so good!! LOUD but yummy!! and AC!!

Well, we aren't going to do one this trip. As much as I'd like to it will have to wait since the cost of the annual passes is taking a big chunk of the budget this time around.
It will be mainly counter service with the exception of the one Rainforest Cafe meal.


Lilo and Stitch sounds nice! And on Christmas morning too. Aw, that'll be great.

We're going back sometime in December too, so I'll have to see what I can do for that trip.

 

[ZPT1022]

Beth, have you considered the Rainforest Cafe Safari Club? You could probably go to the local one to sign up and get the card. I believe it's $10, good forever as long as you use it once or twice a year. I think you save money at the store, and we usually get a free appetizer when we eat at the restaurant. The usually send a GC for your b-day too. Plus it gives you priority seating. Oh, and when you sign up you get a GC too, so you basically make your money back right away

 

[mommaU4]

Wow, is today over yet??? Because I am certainly ready for it to be.

It's day 3 of my plans to do something Disney each day. The hubby and I planned to go out to lunch, run a quick errand at the hospital where he works, and then head over to the Disney store since I didn't make it there yesterday.

Simple enough, right?

The lunch went well. And we are driving on the nightmare that is known as the 15 Freeway here in Vegas when a little kink was thrown into our well laid plans.

There was quite a bit of traffic, but it was moving along pretty good. Not too fast, but not stopped either. We were about 1/2 mile from our exit when the car in front of us stopped. Suddenly.

Luckily my husband saw it in time and he stopped to. Whew! Disaster avoided.
But wait, a quick glance in the rear view mirror shows a lady in a white car coming upon us fast. No way she is going to have time to stop.

He tells me "Brace yourself, she's not going to stop!" There was no where for us to go, as there were cars on either lane beside us. So sure enough, she slams on her brakes and we hear screeching. I'm watching her in my side mirror and next thing I know, WHACK!! Right into the back end of us.

Thank goodness we didn't get pushed forward into the car ahead of us. And luckily for her no one slammed into the back of her. So there was no chain reaction.

We both pulled over to the side and right away I called the police. I was shaking and my heart was racing. Thought I was going to have a freakin heart attack. I didn't care who it was, or what their story was, I wanted the cops there to file a report. I've watched too many episodes of People's Court to listen to some stranger's promises of payment.

My DH got out and went to talk to her. We were driving an older model minivan and she was in a 1990 Pontiac. The damage to our van appeared minimal because we have a hitch on the back of the van that we use for towing our Sea Doo. So that took the majority of the hit from her car, although there were several scratches on our back bumper.

She never even asked if we were ok. She just right away started saying how she didn't want to involve the police, that she'd take care of it. Yeah, right.

She said it was her boyfriends car and that she didn't have her driver's license. She told us she had to leave and go home to her newborn. Okay fine, leave. We already had her license plate at that point and we weren't about to cancel the Highway Patrol who were on their way.

She stuck around and then wanted my DH to talk to her boyfriend on her cell. He politely told her no. So she was pissed and then starting yelling that it was our fault because we slammed on our brakes and there was no way she could stop.

Then I got pissed. I'm still shaking and in no mood to take her crap. I rarely yell at strangers, but I yelled at her. I told her there was no way this was our fault. The traffic stopped. WE stopped. WE didn't hit the car in front of us. She didn't react in time or maybe her brakes suck, who knows and who cares. Either way, she hit us. And it's her fault. I'm sorry she didn't want the cops involved but I don't know her and I owe her nothing.

Now I'm feeling ill. I had to lean over the freeway barrier because my stomach was hurting. They had asked when I first made the call if we needed medical and I said no. But I think the seatbelt hurt my stomach when she hit us. I'm not sure....all I know is I felt sick.

Finally the Highway Patrol gets there. She takes all our info, lectures the other lady for not having her license, and goes back to her car for what seems like forever. Finally she comes back with a small printout for us with all the info we need to contact the lady's insurance company. And tells us we can go.

As we left she was still dealing with the lady who hit us so I don't know what happened to her for not having a license with her, if anything. All I know was I wanted to get off the freeway and go home.

I'm hoping the van is ok. We are supposed to drive it to Disneyland this Friday. It appears to be. Like I said, the hitch took most of the damage, and that does need to be replaced. It's all tweaked. I just hope nothing happened to the frame of the van.

I'm not sure what the next course of action will be. I guess we need to get it checked out. Maybe we'll look into renting a van for this week-end. Who knows.

So, that was my day.

OH! But I didn't forget the Disney treat for the kids. LOL Needless to say we did not go to the Disney Store, but we rented a movie for them.

They came home and instead of having to rush right into their homework, they got to watch the movie and have some popcorn, so they were pretty happy about that.

I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't worse. The kids weren't with us and I'm happy for that. I'm glad my husband is a procrastinator and never got around to removing the hitch. And I'm glad the damage wasn't worse and no one was seriously hurt.

But I'm still ready for this day to be over.

 

[mommaU4]

Beth, have you considered the Rainforest Cafe Safari Club? You could probably go to the local one to sign up and get the card. I believe it's $10, good forever as long as you use it once or twice a year. I think you save money at the store, and we usually get a free appetizer when we eat at the restaurant. The usually send a GC for your b-day too. Plus it gives you priority seating. Oh, and when you sign up you get a GC too, so you basically make your money back right away

No, I hadn't heard of that. Thanks for the info. I'll have to look into it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh you poor thing!!!! That sounds so awful.

Good for you for making that police report, who knows who she was or what she was up to. When someone does something to your car, you WANT your insurance company to know who to talk to. A lady in a Suburban once slammed into my brand-new New Beetle. She was parked in perpendicular spaces, and I was across the street parked in parallel spots, and she didn't know how to use her mirrors and was distracted by children and her mother, and SLAM. Thank goodness she was a good person, and came into the restaurant to find the owner of the car she had smooshed...turns out we both had Geico, and by the time she got home, Geico had already started the claim and had called her husband (called their home phone to verify info). Anyway, it was all taken care of without impacting MY insurance at all.

I hope you have the same situation.


The Safari Club is cool, but the $10 gift certificate is mailed to you, and takes ages. But you do get either a free appetizer when you order entrees or a percentage off your total bill, each time you show your card (and the temporary, just signed up, card counts).

And may I suggest the DTD RFC's nacho appetizer? We had it without the meat, but even like that it was absolutely delicious. It's an interesting cheese sauce sort of thing, not just cheese melted, but still, very very good.


And about your comment about a 30 something demanding autographs...I bet they would like it better than they liked my 3 year old running around in circles for half an hour!!! His picture with Stitch is hilarious b/c he is a blur as Stitch stands still.

 

[ZPT1022]

Didn't realize that it takes a while to get the GC when you sign up, it's been years since we signed up, but if you get the discount right away, that's good! I think we get to choose- 10% off or a free appetizer. We usually take the free appetizer and that is my meal (I'm beyond a picky eater).

 

[mommaU4]

I hope you have the same situation.

Me too. I hate crap like this, especially before a trip. It's kind of a downer but soon we'll be at Disney having a good time.


And about your comment about a 30 something demanding autographs...I bet they would like it better than they liked my 3 year old running around in circles for half an hour!!! His picture with Stitch is hilarious b/c he is a blur as Stitch stands still.

Okay that was too funny! Thanks, I needed a chuckle today.

And thanks for the info on the Safari Club. And the nachos. We aren't big meat eaters. Mainly some chicken and turkey, hardly ever beef and never steak or seafood, so we might try it the way you did.

 

[bumbershoot]

I noticed the veggie sausage mention from the other day, so I figured you'd like that info.

So are you going to soak in epsom salts tonight? They will help with the soreness you and your hubby are likely to feel tomorrow. No matter how you feel at the time, being rear-ended just isn't good for the bod! Epsom salts = good.

Ooh, thought of another way you can spend your money at Disney. Go get a massage at, hmm, whichever hotel has massages. Make the older kids watch the younger kids and both of you can go get massages. Do ya a world of good.

(um, yes, why I *am* a retired chiropractor....I'd suggest chiro but people resist that (one of the reasons for "retired"), and those other things do help quite a bit and are easier to fathom directly after being hit by a car!)


random question....Does Vegas have any smoke-free hotels/casinos?



Back to your trip report, is your route going to be changed by the fires and such?

 

[ZPT1022]

I noticed the veggie sausage mention from the other day, so I figured you'd like that info.

So are you going to soak in epsom salts tonight? They will help with the soreness you and your hubby are likely to feel tomorrow. No matter how you feel at the time, being rear-ended just isn't good for the bod! Epsom salts = good.

Ooh, thought of another way you can spend your money at Disney. Go get a massage at, hmm, whichever hotel has massages. Make the older kids watch the younger kids and both of you can go get massages. Do ya a world of good.

(um, yes, why I *am* a retired chiropractor....I'd suggest chiro but people resist that (one of the reasons for "retired"), and those other things do help quite a bit and are easier to fathom directly after being hit by a car!)


random question....Does Vegas have any smoke-free hotels/casinos?



Back to your trip report, is your route going to be changed by the fires and such?

I've wondered that too. Beth, inquiring minds want to know!

Too bad that you are a retired chiropractor. I've heard that a good one is worth their weight in gold. If you don't mind, I might PM you with a ?? about whether or not a chiro would help with something


Oh, and sorry for the hijack Beth

 

[mommaU4]

I noticed the veggie sausage mention from the other day, so I figured you'd like that info.

So are you going to soak in epsom salts tonight? They will help with the soreness you and your hubby are likely to feel tomorrow. No matter how you feel at the time, being rear-ended just isn't good for the bod! Epsom salts = good.

Ooh, thought of another way you can spend your money at Disney. Go get a massage at, hmm, whichever hotel has massages. Make the older kids watch the younger kids and both of you can go get massages. Do ya a world of good.

(um, yes, why I *am* a retired chiropractor....I'd suggest chiro but people resist that (one of the reasons for "retired"), and those other things do help quite a bit and are easier to fathom directly after being hit by a car!)


random question....Does Vegas have any smoke-free hotels/casinos?



Back to your trip report, is your route going to be changed by the fires and such?

Hello. I finally got my kids in bed and I am working on packing.
Okay well, technically I'm working on lists of things I need to pack. It's my way of feeling like I'm doing something without actually having to get off my butt and do something.

Thanks for the info on the Epsom salts. I wish I'd thought of that sooner. I don't have any in the house. I'm hoping a hot shower and a good night's sleep will help. Although I doubt I'll get the latter since my DH works nights and I just don't sleep when he's not here.

As for the massage, never gonna happen. Trust me, I am doing all those massage therapists out there a huge favor by keeping this bod far away from them.

Anyways, to answer your question, there are no entirely smoke free casinos in Vegas, not that I am aware of anyways.

Here is a snippet of an article I found online with some info on that:

Gamble in casinos that offer designated smoke-free areas. Here is a list of a few:

• Bellagio designates some gaming areas, including the poker room as non-smoking. They evaluate each pit in the casino and make adjustments day-to-day for nonsmokers.

• Harrah’s has a 1,000 square foot non-smoking gaming section, which includes reel slots, video poker machines, blackjack and roulette tables.

• MGM Grand offers nonsmoking gaming tables and a designated nonsmoking slots section in the main casino.

• The Mirage has fresh air pumped into the poker room and contaminated air pulled out of the building. Not only does this help to keep the air clean, but rumor has it that oxygen is pumped in to keep gamblers awake so they will not leave the tables.

Virtually all showrooms are now smoke-free. Most hotel-casino convention centers are non-smoking. Indoor pools, family arcades and health spas are also generally smoke-free. Restaurants designate an average of 70% to the nonsmokers. The Venetian, Harrah’s, MGM Grand, and the Rio All Suite Hotel have 80% or more of their rooms designated as non-smoking rooms and suites.

As a non-smoker myself, I remember the days of the smoke filled casinos and coming out smelling like I had become a cigarette. Those days are gone, maybe not downtown, but it is not the same Vegas as it once was. The food, gambling, shopping, spas and beautiful hotels can be enjoyed by all, even those most sensitive to smoke.

And personally speaking, I've never thought the smell of the smoke was a problem BUT I'm not real sensitive to it either. So I guess it depends on what your tolerence level is, kwim?

Speaking of smoke, I just checked online and so far none of the routes we have to travel are effected by the fires. I'm grateful for that, but it's so sad to hear of all those families losing their homes. Makes a person really appreciate what they have and not take anything for granted.

 

[mommaU4]

Oh, and sorry for the hijack Beth

No worries. Oh, and see the previous post for the info on the casinos.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm glad that your route isn't closed off.

Thanks for the info on the casinos/hotels! I am sensitive, so somehow I doubt I'll be going until some enterprising and brave soul opens a boutique place without smoking. (have a feeling that will be never)

ZPT1022, chiro can help with, well, most things...it's all about the central nervous system, so anything that is run by the nervous system CAN be helped with chiro. CAN being the key word...don't know until you go...


Ooh, a massage disliker! Or a body-touch disliker. Right now I'm skittish about getting massages b/c I feel too squishy, but massage therapists have seen it all, and I'm just being silly. But a friend of mine used to HATE being touched, I mean even her husband (well, ex hubby nowadays) was iffy on permission LOL...since the divorce she's gotten quite a bit better, but I think anything more than a shoulder massage in a chair might still cause her some issues.

Would still be good for you though.


So what Disney thing are you doing today???!!!!!


(You just draw people to you, don't you? 3 of 10K+ pages down...teehee)

 

[KirklandTutu]

Multiple trips to the chiro is always part of my disney plan. Right before, right after. It's the fault of Space Mountain!...and the long airplane ride.

 

[lulubelle]

Just subscribing, Beth
Anxious for your trip report, I am enjoying your pre-trip info very much. You are a talented writer

 

[mommaU4]

Just subscribing, Beth
Anxious for your trip report, I am enjoying your pre-trip info very much. You are a talented writer

Aw, thanks.

And I didn't even have to pay you to say that either. Nope, I'd never do that.


(Pssst, check's in the mail, but um you might want to hurry and cash it before we leave for Disney. After that, it'll be bouncing all over your living room)

 

[mommaU4]

Multiple trips to the chiro is always part of my disney plan. Right before, right after. It's the fault of Space Mountain!...and the long airplane ride.

Hmmm, I've never been to a massage therapist or to a chiropractor before. I doubt I ever will. I'm such a baby, the thought of it kind of freaks me out. LOL

Although since we've moved to Vegas I can't help but notice the huge number of "massage parlors" on every corner. People here must be really stressed out......

 

[mommaU4]

So what Disney thing are you doing today???!!!!!

Well, funny you should ask.....

After yesterday's fun on the freeway, I decided to skip the Disney outlet and just stick with the stores closer to home.

So today being my 36th birthday ( ) and all, I figured we'd really do it up Vegas style. Because if there's one thing we know how to do here in Sin City, it's party!!

First up was a trip to the bank. Oh yeah. The bank. Gotta get the cold hard cash to fork over to the main man Mickey. Then it was on to the grocery store. Whoo!! We're on a roll now. I was grabbing up those snacks for the trip like I didn't have a care in the world!
And finally for the grand finale.....are you sitting down? We were off to Target. YES! That's right man, you heard me. Target baby. Only the best for us, because THAT ladies and gentlemen is just how we party in Vegas.

You're jealous. I know. But hey, don't hate me because I spent my birthday at Target. We can't all be cool like that.

Well okay, so maybe I didn't party like a rock star, but I got alot done for the trip and I'll settle for that right now.

This morning the kids of course wanted to know what was for mommy's birthday? What my present was going to be. Well, I'd already told my DH I didn't want or need another thing in this house to clean, wash, put away, etc. and the Disneyland passes were enough for me.

So he told them I was getting Disneyland. Hannah thought about this bit of information for a minute and then said with a straight face, "We are going to need a bigger box."

Then they informed me that if I was going wait and celebrate my birthday at Disneyland that I'd have to get one of those birthday buttons. We'll see, I'm not sure I really want to announce to the whole park that I am getting old. LOL

We ended up getting some pizza for dinner, and a berry pie for dessert. The kids were thrilled. Twice in one week they got a break from the usual bread and water. I just hope they don't get used to it.

As for today's Disney treat, it's a combination of things from Target and the Dollar Store for them to use on the 4 hour road trip to DL.

I bought some Tink stamp kits, some colored pencils, velvet Tink coloring pages, some coloring books, some Disney math books, a video for Adam, a scrapbook for Noelle, and some dolls.

I know the dolls aren't Disney princesses, they are those trampy Bratz dolls. But they like them and they don't bother me. Anything to keep them entertained for 4 hours.

So, once we are done with homework and everyone is in bed, I'll be finishing up the laundry (another birthday treat for me) and the packing. Tomorrow is our last day before we leave!!!! And I cannot wait.

 

[BecBennett]

One day to go!

One day to go!

Wait. Does this mean we wont hear from you again until you get back?? Oh well, so long as you do come back and do a proper trip report! Too many times have I gotten myself hooked on a pretrip report only to find that once they leave for their trip we never hear from them again

So I'm watching you!

 

[mommaU4]

One day to go!

One day to go!

Wait. Does this mean we wont hear from you again until you get back?? Oh well, so long as you do come back and do a proper trip report! Too many times have I gotten myself hooked on a pretrip report only to find that once they leave for their trip we never hear from them again

So I'm watching you!

As soon as I read this, I immediately thought of this old song by Rockwell:

I'm just an average man
With an average life
I work from nine to five
Hey, hell, I pay the price
All I want is to be left alone
In my average home
But why do I always feel
Like I'm in the twilight zone

And (I always feel like)
(Somebody's watching me)
And I have no privacy
Whooooa-oh-oh
(I always feel like)
(Somebody's watching me)
Tell me, is it just a dream



What can I say. I'm a product of the 80's and I love it.

But I promise I won't leave you hanging. We'll be heading out early tomorrow morning and hopefully it will be an uneventful drive there. We have decided to drive the van. Rental minivans were just so expensive and ours seems to be ok so far. (knock on wood!! Ow, now my head hurts )

We are going to take it slow and stop often if we need to. I'm anxious to get there, but I'd prefer to get there safely.

I have no doubt no one will get much sleep tonight. I'm sure I'll be just as excited as the kids. My DH works until midnight tonight so I know I'll be up until at least then waiting for him.

A friend of mine posted these links to some commercials last night and I thought I'd post them here. They are both just really cute and the second one will probably be us, even though it's a WDW one.

Funny Disney commercial

Too excited to sleep!

I finished alot of the packing last night but I still have some more to do. Packing for 6 people seems to take forever even for such a short trip. And I find myself second guessing the weather and everything I had planned to bring.

Depending on which weather site I check, it's between 78 and 80 all three days, so I'm thinking shorts for the kids. But then it gets chilly at night, so I guess I'm bringing jackets and maybe even some pants for the evening.

Ugh, do you know how bulky 6 jackets/sweatshirts are?? We'll be getting a locker for sure, maybe two.

As for their Disney treat for the day, I've got the Princess phone calls scheduled for tonight at 7:15 and 7:30. I sure hope I don't forget. And as for the older two, I'm thinking maybe some kind of food treat to take along. Not sure what, but I'm working on it.

Okay, well, I still have some things to take care of so it's time to get this day started.