Before the Shenanigans: A Christmas 2012 PTR (TR Link Posted 1/12/13!)

[SoNotAPrincess]

Ahhh yay for tomorrow! Is that your actual birthday? I keep getting confused!

Yes, it was my actual birthday! TR link coming soon!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Yay for Disney Day!!!!! Have a wonderful and magical birthday time!!!!!

Thank you! It went by much too fast...as always!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

We're back! How is it that three days can go by so quickly? I've started the TR, and here's the link:A Very Cheery Not So Scary Birthday Soiree!

Hope to see you over there!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Oopsie, forgot to add....

Meanwhile, in other news:

 

[marDgreen88]

Hooray! That means that tomorrow is 73 days and that's my favorite number!!! (Yes, I am weird.)

 

[teekathepony]

Oopsie, forgot to add....

Meanwhile, in other news:

Hooray!!! Not long now! I can't wait until Christmas!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hooray!!! Not long now! I can't wait until Christmas!

Getting closer with every passing day, too! Hooray for Christmas with Mickey!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hooray! That means that tomorrow is 73 days and that's my favorite number!!! (Yes, I am weird.)

I have a favorite number, also (10), so we'll be weird together!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hola mi amigos!

Just popping on to check in with a quick real life update. I've been MIA from the Dis and life in general due to emergency knee surgery last Thursday. The cadaver tendon I had put in this spring ruptured and ultimately had to be re-replaced. After some trouble with dangerously low blood levels and pain management in the hospital, I'm back to work (from home a few hours a day) and deep into the hell known as physical therapy!

Things on the Christmas trip planning front are about the same. I hope to get started on what I call "Pixie Dust Bags" for everyone soon. These are personalized totes/backpacks (I haven't decided yet) filled with all sorts of neat-o trip necessities like new sunglasses, lip balm, rain ponchos, and sunscreen. I also throw in not-really-necessitities-but-still-lotsa-fun items like new pajamas and/or bathing suits, disposable underwater cameras, etc.

 

[marDgreen88]

Wow, I'm so sorry about your knee! That must be so painful, but I hope your recovery is quick.

I love the Pixie Dust bag idea!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Wow, I'm so sorry about your knee! That must be so painful, but I hope your recovery is quick.

I love the Pixie Dust bag idea!

Thank you! Yeah, it's pretty awful; but I'm a rough tough creampuff so I'll get through it somehow!

I have a lot of fun putting the Pixie Dust bags together. Right now, I'm doing some online shopping...I'm finding some pretty interesting items and not bad prices, too!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

THUD!

That's the sound of anyone who is still following this long-negelected PTR fainting dead away from the shock of a new post!

So, is anyone out there familiar with the saying, "Into each life a little rain must fall"?

If that's true, and I believe it is, my life has become Hurricane Laura!

Nothing following my last knee surgery has gone as planned, and I'm facing more surgery/surgeries to repair/replace various knee parts. I'm doing my very best to delay the next surgery until after the Christmas trip, and so far my doc is on board with the plan...with the understanding that if things change dramatically for the worse, then the plan will have to change accordingly.

Fingers crossed everyone!

I haven't felt much like Dis'n lately, what with the all bad news all the time thing I've had going on, but today I decided that I had moped around for far too long and became determined to put on my happy face; and since nothing makes me happier than Disney, I found my way back to the Dis to catch up on things and post an update here.

To everyone whose TRs I follow, I'm catching up now and will start posting comments again soon!!

OK, now on to the main event...what's going on with the Christmas Shenanigans trip?!?!

I'm not allowed to bend my knee much and am in a brace most of the time, so what this means is that I will be ECV bound for 10 days at WDW, during Christmas and New Year's; and I can only imagine how much NOT FUN that's gonna be!

But it's better than not being there at all, so YAY ECV, right? Right! It also adds the additional expense of renting an ECV from an offsite company because no way am I paying Disney's per day ECV rental rate!

The next change is that my mom will be joining us! She came for my surgery and has stayed to help out since Gabriel travels a fair bit for work. She refuses to go back until all surgeries have happened, so she'll be in Florida for an undetermined duration. When Gabriel is in town, she stays with her sister to give us "privacy". (She's sweetly old fashioned and wishes we would just get married already...isn't 10 years together long enough to tie the knot?!?!)

Mom will be staying with my brother and his family in their room (he and I will split the additional costs for her dining plan, tickets, etc.). She's about as excited as Brianna, which I find endearing and sweet and adorable!

Up next...we are all PAID IN FULL BAY-BEEEEEEE! And PhotoPass Plus is ordered, too. I, of course, have taken full ownership of editing the photos post-trip. We plan to try to max the CD out...999 photos in 10 days...we can do that, right?

Hmmm....what's next?

Oh, yeah...check it out....

I think this deserves a happy dance...or, in my case, a happy chair dance! There is no chair dance emoticon, so we'll settle for this cheerful little fella:

 

[marDgreen88]

I'm so sorry to hear about all your knee troubles, but I'm glad that nothing happened with the trip! How cool that your mom is coming along! I love that she's so excited.

Edited to say: I just read on your other thread and rather than commenting on there I figured I'd just do it over here! Sorry about your pictures! If you get them I'd love to see them! I totally get why you're not continuing but I'll look forward to your Christmas TR!

 

[teekathepony]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with your knee. Sounds awful! I hope they get it fixed up no problem.
HOORAY for PIF and for just 24 days to go!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

So, finally, we're down to less than a week! I thought it'd never get here...but I have proof:

On the trip front, I reserved ECVs for Mom and me and discovered a whole bunch of new things to obsess/worry about. Like, how many ECVs can fit on a bus? Does this mean we'll have to split our party up every time we take a Disney bus someplace? And more importantly, how in the heck am I supposed to maneuver the ECV on to the bus? I've used ECVs before but never in such tight quarters. I can see it now...everyone on the bus glaring at me because I can't get the ECV parked in its spot. I've already told Gabriel that he may have to be responsible. He told me to man up and appreciate the teaching moments coming my way.

Yeah, I love you, too, honey.

I finally made it out and about to do some Christmas shopping (ordering online is not good for last minute shopping unless you're OK with exorbitant shipping and handling costs, which I'm not). It was tiring, but at least I'm no longer housebound. Woo hoo!

 

[marDgreen88]

Don't worry, from what I've seen, people are tolerable of other people in wheelchairs/ECVs. It's a necessary thing so it's understandable.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm sorry to hear of all the troubles your knee has been causing you, but the ECV will definitely be the best solution for you to easily get around! Do not stress about the busses, I've seen people need multiple attempts to make it on to the bus, and nobody minds! Just take your time, relax, and enjoy being at Disney!

Your trip is coming up SO soon!!!! That's so exciting!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I'm so sorry to hear about all your knee troubles, but I'm glad that nothing happened with the trip! How cool that your mom is coming along! I love that she's so excited.

Edited to say: I just read on your other thread and rather than commenting on there I figured I'd just do it over here! Sorry about your pictures! If you get them I'd love to see them! I totally get why you're not continuing but I'll look forward to your Christmas TR!

Thanks, Marissa! Yeah, I would've been beyond bummed if my @#*$(%! stupid knee had made the trip impossible! My mom is adorable (if I do say so myself)!!

I've given up hope on the photos. Gloom, despair and agony on me. I'll just have to troll the boards and blogs and wait 'til the next Eugene meet comes around!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with your knee. Sounds awful! I hope they get it fixed up no problem.
HOORAY for PIF and for just 24 days to go!

Thanks! I have a great doc, so I'm pretty hopeful that in the long run all be well!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Don't worry, from what I've seen, people are tolerable of other people in wheelchairs/ECVs. It's a necessary thing so it's understandable.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Thanks for the encouragement...I need it!