An APRIL Adventure in Autism: 2008 (8/8) Time to Say Good-Bye....

[jordanyosh]

Hey Dude,
I have been scanning all the threads I am subbed to just no time to post as much as I would like and I have kinda of been letting the dust settle a bit.

I will try and get over and add my $.03

Okay........

 

[wvdislover]

Welcome back, Kathy!!! Hope you had a great, relaxing, non-commando trip!

 

[KathyRN137]

Well, since the general consensus seems to lean toward finishing the November report (ANOTHER Adventure....) before diving into this one, then that's what I plan to do!!

Kathy

 

[jordanyosh]

Well, since the general consensus seems to lean toward finishing the November report (ANOTHER Adventure....) before diving into this one, then that's what I plan to do!!

Kathy

I guess I was the only hold out....Can't win every time.....

Get typing....

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

Signed on...I know all about driving.

 

[OhMari]

Are you going to finish, or should I put this one in the completed boards.

 

[mrsksomeday]

OhMari, Kathy is having her home remodeled this summer and they had to move out during the process. She has told us she wants to finish it, we are all patiently awaiting her return,

 

[OhMari]

Bump to the front

 

[DisMomAmy]

Yay Kathy!! It's been resurrected!
Can't wait to hear all about this trip.

 

[wvdislover]

Oh yay!!! Time to start the next one!

 

[mousescrapper]

Looking forward to hearing about this trip too....this was suppose to be the relaxing trip right and you guys drove?

Have to give us a recap...I get a little confused

 

[KathyRN137]

Okay...well now... it took me a few minutes to go back and re-read all I wrote last year (and all your responses, too!) I guess I'm officially up to speed on my own report!!

I am so, so annoyed at myself! I've looked everywhere and I just cannot find my trip notes.

I did find:

Our P&P Party tickets,
Our KTTW Cards,
Park Maps (including the P&P Map) and Times Guides from the trip,
My printout of TGMs Least Crowded Parks charts from the trip,
Receipts from our meals (including the ones we ate on the road),
Resort map and directory of services from Old Key West,
My P&P Minnie ears,
Our photopass card and pictures.......

Everything except that darn notebook!!

I seriously do not know how to begin this report! You see, the November trip was full of angst and drama.... a veritable emotional rollercoaster! Those types of experiences tend to be marked indelibly on one's memory.

The April trip was the complete opposite... as smooth as a water taxi ride across Bay Lake at sunset.

I find myself looking at all the pictures and thinking, "I don't remember that? When did we eat there? Was that from our arrival day or our departure day?" It's really embarassing!

Well, I shall try.


Kathy

 

[tiggerbell]

Ready and waiting!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

CHAPTER ONE: Ready For A Road Trip?


Friday, April 18, 2008

Somewhere between 9 and 10 o’clock at night….


It was the eve of our newest Disney adventure and I recall feeling a bit surprised that I was not bubbling with my usual pre-trip excitement. As I waited for Ed (DH) to arrive home (early) from working his night shift, I surveyed the pile of duffle bags that I had just stacked unceremoniously in the front hall. I sighed.


“Well, at least I got all the packing done in the nick of time,” I thought to myself. Aimee, our Lab/Golden Retriever Mix, had been checked into the kennel as soon as the kids had come home from school so they had a chance to say good-bye to her. I quickly scanned my packing list and noted that all items were, indeed, checked off... with the notable exceptions of the kids’ pillows and Tricia’s toiletry bag.


I could hear them moving around upstairs. Tricia (DD12) was puttering around in her bedroom and Billy (DS10) could be heard jumping up and down on the mini-trampoline in his room. The sound of thud... thud... thud, mingled with shrieks of laughter told me that he was most definitely excited... if not for Disney, then for the fact that it was late and no one was telling him he had to be quiet and go to bed!!


Ed’s plan was to come home early and, since he was still in “night shift” mode, we would pack up the van and load the kids in with their pillows and blankets. We would begin our drive from New Jersey tonight. Ed would pilot us straight on until morning, stopping (hopefully) just as we crossed into Virginia. That way, he reasoned, we would be well past the congestion around Baltimore/Washington DC before morning. (With the added benefit of letting the kids sleep through the bulk of the drive.)


We hoped.


Tricia, I knew, would be out like a light, but Billy?! He never slept in the car, ever, even when he was a baby. And, as you may know from my previous reports, the only time our autistic child is quiet is when he is sleeping. I sighed again. Ed would welcome the chatter; it would help him stay awake. But I needed to get a little sleep! I wasn't particularly fond of earplugs, but it looked as though I would have to give them a try.


Once we arrived in Virginia, the travel plan specified that I would take over the driving, continuing down I95 until we reached our hotel in South Carolina. Oh, I hoped I could somehow get comfortable and catch a few ZZZ’s by then! As you may also know from previous reports, I am not a tiny woman, and it isn’t easy to get comfy in the front passenger seat... even with my neck pillow and another regular pillow from our bed. But I wanted to be up front in case Ed needed me for something.


Ed was unusually excited about driving all the way down to Florida. I think it reminded him of when his family did that in his childhood. I think it reminded me that I should pack some Preparation H.


“Tricia, bring down the rest of your stuff!” I called up the stairs.

“Okay!” she replied….

Ten minutes later, my daughter was still puttering and my packing list remained incomplete.


I sighed again. I just didn’t have the energy to nag her about it. In fact, I hadn’t much energy at all! Normally my trip preparations would have been spread out over weeks, not mere days. I had only begun gathering our vacation clothes a couple of nights earlier. The pre-trip shopping had been done in haste. I hadn’t even had time to give the house more than a quick tidy.

It’s as if this trip had literally “snuck up” on me!

Perhaps that was the reason I felt a vague sense of ennui... I simply hadn’t had time to let the excitement build. That’s what happens, I suppose, when your attention is focused on other things. I had been busy searching for a place for us to live that summer while our house was getting remodeled. (Gutted and re-built was more like it.) And there had been meetings with architects, interviews with contractors, and applications for financing to keep me away from my precious Disney planning. Admittedly, it hadn’t all been drudgery; I spent many a happy hour pouring over remodeling magazines and dreaming of my “new” house. But, that hadn’t left much time for DIS-ing.


Ed had stated many times that, because of the remodel, we would not be returning to WDW until at least 2010... and that had made me a tad depressed. Eventually he had capitulated and agreed to a short trip... ostensibly to use up our remaining DVC points for the year... but we both knew what this trip was really about.

It was to be a “do-over” of sorts!

Ever since we had returned from our annual November vacation, I had been harboring mixed feelings about it. Of course, we had fun... we were at Walt Disney World! But, it had not been the easiest of trips, primarily because of Ed’s elderly Aunt Rae. The magic had been tempered with stress throughout the week and I had fought hard not to bear her any grudge. Now, with the impending packing, moving, and construction on the horizon, we were apprehensive about the major upheaval it was sure to bring. A little family fun was definitely in order to strengthen us for the upcoming months!


The glare of headlights shone through the front windows as Ed’s truck pulled into the driveway. He was home! I opened my mouth to call out to the kids, but they had already heard the squawk of the car alarm being triggered and were bounding down the stairs.

“Dad’s home! Dad’s home!” Tricia sang out as she bounded down the staircase.

Billy was right behind her. “We go to Walt Disney World!” he added, clapping his hands.

The front door opened and Ed burst in with a big grin on his face. “Are we all ready to leave, gang?” he asked us. “Let’s get on the road!” I smiled back, feeling my heart do a little leap of excitement.


We were going to Walt Disney World!!!


“Just a couple more things to grab,” I answered, and I sent the kids back upstairs for the rest of their stuff.


Were we ready? The answer was YES. So, let the April Adventure begin!


Kathy

 

[preschoolmom]

I'm in! I can't wait!

 

[mrsksomeday]

YAY!!! I can just see Billy clapping his hands so happy to be going back to WDW!!

I am going to love hearing about you driving down. Bill and I have thought about it many times, but opted out because of the length of time in the van.

 

[KathyRN137]

I'm in! I can't wait!

Whaddya mean, you can't wait?? I already made you wait almost a year!!

Kathy

 

[KathyRN137]

YAY!!! I can just see Billy clapping his hands so happy to be going back to WDW!!

I am going to love hearing about you driving down. Bill have thought about it many times, but opted out because of the length of time in the van.

Flying and driving are two completely different experiences! As to which is better, I'll let you be the judge!

Kathy

 

[moparop]

I am curious to hear about how the drive goes as well. We are pondering a drive for our next WDW trip and need to read more about people going from major idstances.

Hey Kathy, what happened to your ticker?

 

[KathyRN137]

I am curious to hear about how the drive goes as well. We are pondering a drive for our next WDW trip and need to read more about people going from major idstances.

Hey Kathy, what happened to your ticker?

I will try to recall as many details as I can!

As for my ticker, I was wondering the same thing!! Seems that the site I use (MickeyPath) has technical trouble from time to time (?) I've noticed than many DIS-ers with MickeyPath tickers have little red Xs this morning, and its not the first time!

If its still not showing by the time I get home from work, I'm going to get a new ticker from another site, probably Enchanted. Too bad, I liked the rotating one...

...Unless I'm over my alloted signature size, in which case I will have to delete either my TR links or my little pictures....

Kathy