jsmla
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2001
- Messages
- 4,498
Cast and Crew
Me (43) Mom, driver, rain goddess and NPR buff
Sam (18) DS Technology god, avid supporter of the guild of extremely odd musicians.
Liz (16) DD Doyenne of overpacking, pop princess.
Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 pm
It just wouldn't be vacation without a crisis. This time it's the car, a vintage Toyota Previa with a serious attitude. I was out doing a little pre-trip shopping when I noticed the car's A/C was acting up, in June, in Baton Rouge, the day before a 10 hour road trip. No matter how many buttons I push it will only emit a faint breath of sultry Louisiana air. DH suggests we put off our departure for a day or two, the dear, sweet, crazy man. I am leaving tomorrow if I have to cross Florida barefoot on burning coals. DH does his best but at this late date all we can do is top up the freon and pray. Visions of the kid's reaction to this news produces a splitting headache so I take the only prudent course. I don't tell them.
Baton Rouge, LA 5:00 pm
Another ritual of travel that we always observe is the great luggage debate. Sam could live for a year out of one duffel bag and I posess a lovely collection of vividly hued jersey Disney outfits which, in addition to being extremely sophisticated and flattering, make packing a breeze. ( I figure I won't see anyone I know anyway.) That leaves Liz, sweet little Lizzie, who brings two bags for an overnight sleepover. Four, count-em, four cases plus hanging stuff, plus miscellaneous grooming and entertainment articles. As is the luggage will prevent Sam from riding in the recumbant position that he seems to spend most of his life in. He once got written up at school for falling out of his desk. One good thing about college, they won't be sending home snappy little notes concerning Sam's little personality quirks. (Will they?) A lively debate ensues in which my charming children toss such bon mots as "disgusting bum" and "Britanny Spears clone" at each other. This entertains them, giving me the chance to re-pack the car in peace. Years of travelling with Liz has turned me into mother of all packers and after convincing her that she doesn't need 6 pairs of shoes or every single pair of jeans that she owns I am able to reduce the load by one bag. Sam's duffle is alarmingly light (Liz'z make-up bag weighs more) but at this point I'm not looking for trouble. We're off!
Slidell, LA 7:00 pm
We always spend the first night of our trip at my parents' house. It is a family tradition which allows me to escape cooking and the kids to hit up Grandma for spending money. The kids don't notice the A/C problem which is wonderful. My dad is a retired accountant and frustrated mechanic. All he needs is to hear the word "broken" and he will have us here till August. I've already dodged comments about the noise the brakes make whenever I back up. Grandma stuffs us with food and we're off to bed.
Slidell, LA 5:00 am (the next day)
We're up bright and early (well early at least). The kids ride in what they slept in and wake barely long enough to stumble to the car. They konk out again as I ease out of the driveway and off into the dawning sun. I kind of like this part of a trip. It's a brief oasis of calm in which the whole glorious vacation lies ahead and I'm still in charge of the radio. Life just doesn't get much more satisfying. The kids sleep most of the morning and all is well. One nice thing about today's youth, deprive them of any electronic audio-visual stimulation and they will almost always fall asleep.
We stop at the Florida Welcome Center for orange juice and a carload of Disney brochures, another vacation tradition. I shudder to think of the number of trees sacrificed just to keep us in Disney brochures. It's a sickness. We don't need them. We all know WDW better than our own home town. But when we see them there, all shiny and colorful, we just can't resist. Liz uses the break to change into her "riding in the car" ensemble.
Still no comments on the lack of air conditioning. Life is good.
Back in the car Sam announces that it is Time To Watch a Movie. He's been waiting for this moment since his graduation. You see he recieved a laptop computer for his birthday. Naively we let him order it himself. It is a very nice computer. It should be. It cost us(me, DH and all the grandparents) $3000. Apparently you can only attend college with a laptop fully equipped for playing StormTroopers Death Star Revenge with Extra Blood and Gore or some such other bout of violence and mayhem. (I've long since quit looking at his video games; it just upsets me. Liz's current favorite is The Sims, specifically the"Hot Date" edition. If you're not familiar with this game, it consists solely of creating little virtual people whose lives you control completely. To be honest I don't know which one is scarier.) Anyway after much anticipation and discussion they chose to watch Shawshank (sp?) Redemption. To see the screen they have to huddle under a blanket in the increasingly warmer car. They complain about the heat, the sound and each other. It takes them about an hour to get situated for a 2 hour movie, most of which they miss because they are either adjusting the laptop or fighting over the blanket. The funny thing is that they are perfectly content with this. Neither one would dream of quitting the computer to read a book. This is so much better, you see because it's a computer and therefore infinately superior to anything else. I'm glad I don't smoke because there probably would have been a full scale mutiny had I wished to use the cigarette lighter. Lunch and napping filled the rest of the afternoon.
Ocala, FL 2:30 pm
Ever tradition bound we stop off at the official Disney welcome center to get an annual pass for Sam and more brochures. It's been raining since Pensacola and the parking lot is flooded. Good thing we're getting all this rain out of the way today. Nothing but sunshine for the rest of the trip.
Orlando, FL 4:00 pm
We're here! We're here! All we have to do is find the hotel and we're all set. Still raining.
Orlando, FL 4:30 pm
Still here! Still raining. Still no hotel.
Orlando, FL 5:00 pm
Still raining. I'm beginning to doubt the existence of the Wyndham Orlando International Drive. We badly need leadership and direction so I make the decision to drive down I Drive while the kids scan the landscape for the hotel.
Orlando, FL 5:30 pm
Did you know that I Drive is very busy in the afternoon? Still raining.
Orlando, FL 6:00 pm
Hooray! We've found the hotel. Boy was that awful! I make a promise to always get directions from now on. Check in is quick and we get an upgrade to a Jr. Suite. Ain't life grand? The clerk hands me the keys. For the record, I was tired and my nerves were shot from navigating I Drive in the rain (did I mention it's still raining?). I don't know why, but when he tried to give me directions to the room I lapsed into some sort of stupor. I'm sure that I looked him in the eye with every appearance of listening but not one word made it to my brain. Back to the car (in the rain).
Wyndham Orlando International Drive 6:30 pm
You guessed it. Can't find the room. This hotel has to be one of the most spread out and confusing in Orlando. Especially in the rain.
Wyndham Orlando International Drive 6:50 pm
Finally! Liz makes a bee-line for the TV (The Bachelorette or American Idol or Fame or something equally gripping is coming on). Sam humps up most of the luggage we need for the night. Really sweet of him, especially in all that rain.
Everyone is engrossed in the TV, tired, or in a state of mental collapse so we eat stuff from the ice chest for dinner and hit the hay. I got this hotel through a $35 bid on Priceline and it was fine for one night. The room was large but a little tired-looking. Even so, it was the most wonderful sight I had seen all day. Just the thing to set us up for the splendor that surely awaited us at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Me (43) Mom, driver, rain goddess and NPR buff
Sam (18) DS Technology god, avid supporter of the guild of extremely odd musicians.
Liz (16) DD Doyenne of overpacking, pop princess.
Baton Rouge, LA 1:00 pm
It just wouldn't be vacation without a crisis. This time it's the car, a vintage Toyota Previa with a serious attitude. I was out doing a little pre-trip shopping when I noticed the car's A/C was acting up, in June, in Baton Rouge, the day before a 10 hour road trip. No matter how many buttons I push it will only emit a faint breath of sultry Louisiana air. DH suggests we put off our departure for a day or two, the dear, sweet, crazy man. I am leaving tomorrow if I have to cross Florida barefoot on burning coals. DH does his best but at this late date all we can do is top up the freon and pray. Visions of the kid's reaction to this news produces a splitting headache so I take the only prudent course. I don't tell them.
Baton Rouge, LA 5:00 pm
Another ritual of travel that we always observe is the great luggage debate. Sam could live for a year out of one duffel bag and I posess a lovely collection of vividly hued jersey Disney outfits which, in addition to being extremely sophisticated and flattering, make packing a breeze. ( I figure I won't see anyone I know anyway.) That leaves Liz, sweet little Lizzie, who brings two bags for an overnight sleepover. Four, count-em, four cases plus hanging stuff, plus miscellaneous grooming and entertainment articles. As is the luggage will prevent Sam from riding in the recumbant position that he seems to spend most of his life in. He once got written up at school for falling out of his desk. One good thing about college, they won't be sending home snappy little notes concerning Sam's little personality quirks. (Will they?) A lively debate ensues in which my charming children toss such bon mots as "disgusting bum" and "Britanny Spears clone" at each other. This entertains them, giving me the chance to re-pack the car in peace. Years of travelling with Liz has turned me into mother of all packers and after convincing her that she doesn't need 6 pairs of shoes or every single pair of jeans that she owns I am able to reduce the load by one bag. Sam's duffle is alarmingly light (Liz'z make-up bag weighs more) but at this point I'm not looking for trouble. We're off!
Slidell, LA 7:00 pm
We always spend the first night of our trip at my parents' house. It is a family tradition which allows me to escape cooking and the kids to hit up Grandma for spending money. The kids don't notice the A/C problem which is wonderful. My dad is a retired accountant and frustrated mechanic. All he needs is to hear the word "broken" and he will have us here till August. I've already dodged comments about the noise the brakes make whenever I back up. Grandma stuffs us with food and we're off to bed.
Slidell, LA 5:00 am (the next day)
We're up bright and early (well early at least). The kids ride in what they slept in and wake barely long enough to stumble to the car. They konk out again as I ease out of the driveway and off into the dawning sun. I kind of like this part of a trip. It's a brief oasis of calm in which the whole glorious vacation lies ahead and I'm still in charge of the radio. Life just doesn't get much more satisfying. The kids sleep most of the morning and all is well. One nice thing about today's youth, deprive them of any electronic audio-visual stimulation and they will almost always fall asleep.
We stop at the Florida Welcome Center for orange juice and a carload of Disney brochures, another vacation tradition. I shudder to think of the number of trees sacrificed just to keep us in Disney brochures. It's a sickness. We don't need them. We all know WDW better than our own home town. But when we see them there, all shiny and colorful, we just can't resist. Liz uses the break to change into her "riding in the car" ensemble.
Still no comments on the lack of air conditioning. Life is good.
Back in the car Sam announces that it is Time To Watch a Movie. He's been waiting for this moment since his graduation. You see he recieved a laptop computer for his birthday. Naively we let him order it himself. It is a very nice computer. It should be. It cost us(me, DH and all the grandparents) $3000. Apparently you can only attend college with a laptop fully equipped for playing StormTroopers Death Star Revenge with Extra Blood and Gore or some such other bout of violence and mayhem. (I've long since quit looking at his video games; it just upsets me. Liz's current favorite is The Sims, specifically the"Hot Date" edition. If you're not familiar with this game, it consists solely of creating little virtual people whose lives you control completely. To be honest I don't know which one is scarier.) Anyway after much anticipation and discussion they chose to watch Shawshank (sp?) Redemption. To see the screen they have to huddle under a blanket in the increasingly warmer car. They complain about the heat, the sound and each other. It takes them about an hour to get situated for a 2 hour movie, most of which they miss because they are either adjusting the laptop or fighting over the blanket. The funny thing is that they are perfectly content with this. Neither one would dream of quitting the computer to read a book. This is so much better, you see because it's a computer and therefore infinately superior to anything else. I'm glad I don't smoke because there probably would have been a full scale mutiny had I wished to use the cigarette lighter. Lunch and napping filled the rest of the afternoon.
Ocala, FL 2:30 pm
Ever tradition bound we stop off at the official Disney welcome center to get an annual pass for Sam and more brochures. It's been raining since Pensacola and the parking lot is flooded. Good thing we're getting all this rain out of the way today. Nothing but sunshine for the rest of the trip.
Orlando, FL 4:00 pm
We're here! We're here! All we have to do is find the hotel and we're all set. Still raining.
Orlando, FL 4:30 pm
Still here! Still raining. Still no hotel.
Orlando, FL 5:00 pm
Still raining. I'm beginning to doubt the existence of the Wyndham Orlando International Drive. We badly need leadership and direction so I make the decision to drive down I Drive while the kids scan the landscape for the hotel.
Orlando, FL 5:30 pm
Did you know that I Drive is very busy in the afternoon? Still raining.
Orlando, FL 6:00 pm
Hooray! We've found the hotel. Boy was that awful! I make a promise to always get directions from now on. Check in is quick and we get an upgrade to a Jr. Suite. Ain't life grand? The clerk hands me the keys. For the record, I was tired and my nerves were shot from navigating I Drive in the rain (did I mention it's still raining?). I don't know why, but when he tried to give me directions to the room I lapsed into some sort of stupor. I'm sure that I looked him in the eye with every appearance of listening but not one word made it to my brain. Back to the car (in the rain).
Wyndham Orlando International Drive 6:30 pm
You guessed it. Can't find the room. This hotel has to be one of the most spread out and confusing in Orlando. Especially in the rain.
Wyndham Orlando International Drive 6:50 pm
Finally! Liz makes a bee-line for the TV (The Bachelorette or American Idol or Fame or something equally gripping is coming on). Sam humps up most of the luggage we need for the night. Really sweet of him, especially in all that rain.
Everyone is engrossed in the TV, tired, or in a state of mental collapse so we eat stuff from the ice chest for dinner and hit the hay. I got this hotel through a $35 bid on Priceline and it was fine for one night. The room was large but a little tired-looking. Even so, it was the most wonderful sight I had seen all day. Just the thing to set us up for the splendor that surely awaited us at the Hard Rock Hotel.
