KathyRN137
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 7,882
Pre-Trip #40:
Ten for Ten.....
As amazing as it may seem, I am now staring at 10 Days to Our WDW Vacation! on my countdown ticker! Man, I remember starting this pre-trippie at four months out and feeling like it was f-o-r-e-v-e-r
until our trip. And now, here it is, just around the corner! 
Blue, you asked if Tricia and Billy were driving me crazy with their excitement and, well, heres something equally amazing. The answer is no! The kids have been unusually calm and patient this year, especially Billy. No pestering Mom fifty times a day with We go to WDW, yes? Okay! (Interpretation: I want to go right now, Mom!!) No Okay, Billy, lets go over it one more time: first comes back to school, then Halloween, and then we go to WDW! from me. No children pouring over Birnbaum's WDW For Kids By Kids, no countdown calendars, and no watching the Disney trip-planning DVD four or five times a day! So, what gives?
Just now I asked Billy what he was looking forward to most at WDW and he proceeded to rattle off the list of DVDs he plans to bring along so he can watch them on the plane!
Well, hes nothing if not consistent. His focus is locked on something else right now.
I mentioned this years laid-back attitude to Tricia and asked her why she wasnt bouncing off the walls knowing our trip was only ten days off. I guess Im just so busy that Im only thinking of the present and dont have time to think about the future, she explained. Spoken like a true eleven-year-old. No real thoughts or concerns past tomorrows math test and this Saturdays soccer match. Ill get really excited once were actually on the plane! Probably true.
Shes looking forward to it, naturally. Its just that shes getting a little older. This year shes spent more time deciding what clothes to pack and which AG doll she should bring than on what attractions to see. She knows by now that her mom will make sure she gets to see and do all her favorites.
I suppose, since this will be our fifth visit to the World, the kids are looking at it more like a fun visit to an old, familiar friend rather than an thrilling expedition into the Great Unknown .and thats okay! Truth be told, Im beginning to feel a bit that way myself, and let me tell you, it really takes a lot of the pressure out of planning our trip. When it comes to Walt Disney World, familiarity does not breed contempt; it breeds confidence.
I pretty much know my way around the parks by now ninety percent of the time I dont even need a map to get where Im going. Through research and experience, Ive learned which days are best to visit which parks. Ive learned how to use FastPass and the Guest Assistance Card. Ive learned which shows and attractions my family likes and doesnt like, and I know the basic order in which we should see them. Ive learned that no matter how many hours Ive spent carefully honing the perfect itinerary, it will usually need to be flexed, changed, and edited due to variables that will be beyond my control.
But most importantly, Ive learned that the quality of our family time at Disney is far more important than the quantity of attractions we are able to squeeze into each and every precious day. Quality time. Thats what Im looking forward to the most. Just kicking back and having fun in my favorite place with my favorite people in the entire world!
And so, to celebrate Ten Days Till Disney, I will run down the familys Top Ten Favorite Things about a WDW vacation. (I will have to get back to you on Billys top ten when hes a little less focused on his DVDs.) Oh, I dont know, perhaps by the time hes twenty-one??!!
TRICIA:
1. Soarin
2. Space Mountain
3. Expedition Everest
4. Test Track
5. Big Thunder Mountain RR
6. Rock N Rollercoaster
7. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
8. The fudge at Goofys Candy Company
9. Swimming in the pool
10. Looking for Hidden Mickeys
ED:
1. Spending time with the family
2. No work-related stress for an entire week
3. No work-related stress for an entire week
4. No work-related stress for an entire week
5. No work-related .well, you pretty much get the idea, right?
KATHY:
1. Taking that first exhilarating walk down Main Street, toward Cinderellas Castle. (And singing, Im Walkin Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA while doing it!)
2. Watching Billy hug and play with the characters. (And occasionally try to look inside their headpieces to see the CMs inside!
3. Seeing Tricias face light up when a CM calls her Princess or when she finds the next pin that she absolutely must have!
4. Noticing that any food, whether it be waffles or an ice cream bar, tastes better when its shaped like Mickeys head.
5. Getting completely immersed in the theme and atmospheric detailing of the WDW resorts. Staying on-site makes me feel like Im really in Disney 24 hours a day!
6. Observing the furrows in my husbands forehead relax and nearly disappear as the week goes on. And seeing the look of satisfaction on his face every time I gush over how wonderful this or that is at Disney.
7. Hearing the kids laugh and scream on the thrill rides, and seeing Billys face get beet-red when he is laughing so hard that he can hardly breathe during Mickeys PhilharMagic or MuppetVision 3D.
8. Waking up that first morning and not knowing, for just a split second, where I am and then realizing that Im at WDW! (And that our entire vacation is ahead of us!)
9. Watching Billy and Tricia spontaneously holding hands while walking along through one of the parks.
10. Knowing that, at any moment, something completely magical might happen because of the kindness of a Cast Member.
Uh-oh!
Look at the time, why dont you? Its not 10 days til Disney anymore! Its 9. Only nine days til we're in WDW!!
Woo-Hoo!! Single Digits At Last!!
Good night, all!
Kathy
Ten for Ten.....
As amazing as it may seem, I am now staring at 10 Days to Our WDW Vacation! on my countdown ticker! Man, I remember starting this pre-trippie at four months out and feeling like it was f-o-r-e-v-e-r
until our trip. And now, here it is, just around the corner! Blue, you asked if Tricia and Billy were driving me crazy with their excitement and, well, heres something equally amazing. The answer is no! The kids have been unusually calm and patient this year, especially Billy. No pestering Mom fifty times a day with We go to WDW, yes? Okay! (Interpretation: I want to go right now, Mom!!) No Okay, Billy, lets go over it one more time: first comes back to school, then Halloween, and then we go to WDW! from me. No children pouring over Birnbaum's WDW For Kids By Kids, no countdown calendars, and no watching the Disney trip-planning DVD four or five times a day! So, what gives?
Just now I asked Billy what he was looking forward to most at WDW and he proceeded to rattle off the list of DVDs he plans to bring along so he can watch them on the plane!
Well, hes nothing if not consistent. His focus is locked on something else right now.I mentioned this years laid-back attitude to Tricia and asked her why she wasnt bouncing off the walls knowing our trip was only ten days off. I guess Im just so busy that Im only thinking of the present and dont have time to think about the future, she explained. Spoken like a true eleven-year-old. No real thoughts or concerns past tomorrows math test and this Saturdays soccer match. Ill get really excited once were actually on the plane! Probably true.
Shes looking forward to it, naturally. Its just that shes getting a little older. This year shes spent more time deciding what clothes to pack and which AG doll she should bring than on what attractions to see. She knows by now that her mom will make sure she gets to see and do all her favorites.
I suppose, since this will be our fifth visit to the World, the kids are looking at it more like a fun visit to an old, familiar friend rather than an thrilling expedition into the Great Unknown .and thats okay! Truth be told, Im beginning to feel a bit that way myself, and let me tell you, it really takes a lot of the pressure out of planning our trip. When it comes to Walt Disney World, familiarity does not breed contempt; it breeds confidence.
I pretty much know my way around the parks by now ninety percent of the time I dont even need a map to get where Im going. Through research and experience, Ive learned which days are best to visit which parks. Ive learned how to use FastPass and the Guest Assistance Card. Ive learned which shows and attractions my family likes and doesnt like, and I know the basic order in which we should see them. Ive learned that no matter how many hours Ive spent carefully honing the perfect itinerary, it will usually need to be flexed, changed, and edited due to variables that will be beyond my control.
But most importantly, Ive learned that the quality of our family time at Disney is far more important than the quantity of attractions we are able to squeeze into each and every precious day. Quality time. Thats what Im looking forward to the most. Just kicking back and having fun in my favorite place with my favorite people in the entire world!
And so, to celebrate Ten Days Till Disney, I will run down the familys Top Ten Favorite Things about a WDW vacation. (I will have to get back to you on Billys top ten when hes a little less focused on his DVDs.) Oh, I dont know, perhaps by the time hes twenty-one??!!
TOP TEN THINGS ABOUT A WDW VACATION
(In no particular order)
(In no particular order)
TRICIA:
1. Soarin
2. Space Mountain
3. Expedition Everest
4. Test Track
5. Big Thunder Mountain RR
6. Rock N Rollercoaster
7. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
8. The fudge at Goofys Candy Company
9. Swimming in the pool
10. Looking for Hidden Mickeys
ED:
1. Spending time with the family
2. No work-related stress for an entire week
3. No work-related stress for an entire week
4. No work-related stress for an entire week
5. No work-related .well, you pretty much get the idea, right?
KATHY:
1. Taking that first exhilarating walk down Main Street, toward Cinderellas Castle. (And singing, Im Walkin Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA while doing it!)
2. Watching Billy hug and play with the characters. (And occasionally try to look inside their headpieces to see the CMs inside!
3. Seeing Tricias face light up when a CM calls her Princess or when she finds the next pin that she absolutely must have!
4. Noticing that any food, whether it be waffles or an ice cream bar, tastes better when its shaped like Mickeys head.
5. Getting completely immersed in the theme and atmospheric detailing of the WDW resorts. Staying on-site makes me feel like Im really in Disney 24 hours a day!
6. Observing the furrows in my husbands forehead relax and nearly disappear as the week goes on. And seeing the look of satisfaction on his face every time I gush over how wonderful this or that is at Disney.
7. Hearing the kids laugh and scream on the thrill rides, and seeing Billys face get beet-red when he is laughing so hard that he can hardly breathe during Mickeys PhilharMagic or MuppetVision 3D.
8. Waking up that first morning and not knowing, for just a split second, where I am and then realizing that Im at WDW! (And that our entire vacation is ahead of us!)
9. Watching Billy and Tricia spontaneously holding hands while walking along through one of the parks.
10. Knowing that, at any moment, something completely magical might happen because of the kindness of a Cast Member.
Uh-oh!
Look at the time, why dont you? Its not 10 days til Disney anymore! Its 9. Only nine days til we're in WDW!! Woo-Hoo!! Single Digits At Last!! Good night, all!
Kathy
)
FORE!!
It's just that I really want to hear about your trip!!
I hope you have a wonderful trip! I will do my best to get all caught up with your pre-TR while you are gone. 
It will help me get over my post-Disney depression! 
I do GAT on the Golf Course. 
and thinks I am crazy for wanting to start packing tomorrow! What am I supposed to do
. Sorry just had to vent for a moment there. 
I make sure it is what he likes but if he does not to bad.
