When last we met, my family and I were in the midst of embarking on a full-scale basement renovation (to remove mould from the walls and carpet) and trying to get our lives back to normal after a summer of coping with the news that my FIL has cancer and was not given much time
Oh, and did I mention that we booked a December Disney vacation to boot?
Yeah, youre right were either really masochistic, or just really enjoy stress You pick
October was spent going through, sorting, and tossing a lot of our belongings. Cathartic in a sense; depressingly tiring at the same time. Our only escape from the drudgery was planning our trip 8 stressfree nights at All Stars Sports (remember were trying to this one on the cheap) MVMCP, CP at Epcot, a side trip to Kennedy Space Center, Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights, Fantasmic!, Festival of the Lion King and before too long, Id be relaxed and could really care less about the huge mess beginning to grow in our basement.
If October was the pre-game, then November was Super Bowl Sunday! In exactly one month we went from the first swing of the demo hammer to having the project painted, carpeted and the furniture delivered, ready to sit and relax for just 2 days before our Florida vacation was to begin. I still cant recall much of that month
That might explain why we left getting the passports until a week prior to traveling. We took the mug shots a couple of weeks back (WOW do they look BAD!) Id swear we were profiled on Americas Most Wanted! And to think I thought the drivers license photo was horrible! Mind you after a long day of sitting and waiting in airports we probably will look an awful lot like our passports!
Now, its not like anything could go wrong, could it? Naw, not to me, were going to Disney, right?. We gladly paid the extra $35 per passport to have them express-posted to the passport office versus regular snail mail which might not have arrived in time. Our flight leaves on Saturday Decemeber 11th, and the passports are to arrive in Winnipeg on Friday the 3rd We plan on picking them up Monday the 6th, along with getting our travellers cheques, trip insurance, maps, filling out the customs Y38 form (proving we brought our electronics into the US and didnt buy them there supposedly cuts down the hassle of duty etc upon our return) etc. In all a full day of final preparations.
We start with the passports Were asked to check them over for any errors - DSs is fine, as is DWs. I usually skim things like this what could be wrong? Okay, Ill play along Hold the phone there Myrtle - mine has the wrong birthdate!
Just a minute there Jim, theres a flag on the play!
Seems someone in the office is a little dyslexic, and instead of entering my date of birth as the 30th of April they gave me the 03rd of April. Nice.
How long to get this fixed maam? Whats that? Do I have my application form? Oh I see. If I wrote the birthdate wrong it would be at least a week, in which case Id be SOL.
Uh huh, thats nice, thanks! Oh but wait! Whats that? I got my own birthdate correct? Ah now, see I thought I might know that one Will they ask me that on the Hot Seat at Millonaire?
So the error was on your end? Okay uh huh, yeah, and so how long, now? Only 2 days you say? Hmmm.
Now why would that be? My fault wait a week. Your fault 2 day turn around. Again I say Hmmm. Oh well we still have time to get it before the trip starts. Lets go see the Customs people. Yay!
Its 2nd and 20 now.
Last year we went to the office out by the airport and lugged all cameras and video camera etc in to record the serial numbers etc on this little, official-looking green card called a Y-38. The nice uniformed officer gave us the form and we filled it out didnt ask to see the cameras, or verify the information, just gave us the very official STAMP on the card. This year, since weve bought a new digital video camera and are also taking the lap-top, were getting a new Y38. And based on last years proceedings, we arent carrying all that stuff into the office. We havent even brought it in the Explorer to take with us. Anybody want to guess how this stop went?
Firstly, no uniformed officer here today just an elderly couple, Ma and Pa Kettle I think I called them to DW slower than dirt, and very content to stay that way.
Yes. Wed like to get a Y-38 for our upcoming trip?
A Y-38. Green card thingy? For when we return? Dont have to pay duty, shows we took the items with us, and didnt buy them while gone?
He goes to ask her. She stares at him like my grandma used to stare at grand-dad when she didnt hear him ask her a question. He comes back. Fumbles for awhile under the counter and finally produces a green Y-38 card.
No. We dont have them here. We didnt need them last year. We just filled out the form, and he stamped it. (Didnt you get the memo?)
He goes back to talk to her again. She comes to see us.
Have to have the items? Always been done that way? No maam, dont remember his name. Wore a uniform. Right here. Yes. Right at this desk. Yes. Allright then. Thank you!
Oh! Holding called on that last pass attempt Frank! Theyre looking at 3rd and long now.
Luckily we didnt need to visit anymore government departments this morning. CAA had our travellers cheques , trip insurance and maps all ready to go, and The Running Room had the filter-waterbottle we were looking for.
Quick, lets get home before they realize we accomplished something!!
Thursday morning (December 9th) and DS wakes up with a bad chest cough and stuffy head.
The quarterback goes down hard behind the line of scrimmage! And he fumbles the ball!!
I keep telling myself that if we can just get to Orlando, it will all work out just fine!
I managed to get my passport without any hassles today. (I gave them the benefit of the extra day) and we revisited Ma and Pa Kettle at Customs with our backpack full of electronics (hereafter dubbed the nerve center) and he was kind enough to fill out the Y-38 form and STAMP it too! My day was going so well, that I even splurged and spent the extra five bucks to upgrade from the towncar to the limo to pick us up Saturday morning. What the heck!
We celebrated our achievements by watching DSs Christmas concert in the afternoon, and spent Friday alternating between packing and panicking. DS was wound tighter than a spring all that evening, and finally went to sleep around ten.
As a nurse, DW is a firm believer in heavily medicating young children if it benefits vacation plans
We let him sleep in his clothes makes it easier to pluck him from his bed and plunk him into the limo in the wee hours tomorrow. And we fall into bed praying the coach calls a time-out
Link to my pictures from the trip!!
Link to Part 3!
Oh, and did I mention that we booked a December Disney vacation to boot?
Yeah, youre right were either really masochistic, or just really enjoy stress You pick
October was spent going through, sorting, and tossing a lot of our belongings. Cathartic in a sense; depressingly tiring at the same time. Our only escape from the drudgery was planning our trip 8 stressfree nights at All Stars Sports (remember were trying to this one on the cheap) MVMCP, CP at Epcot, a side trip to Kennedy Space Center, Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights, Fantasmic!, Festival of the Lion King and before too long, Id be relaxed and could really care less about the huge mess beginning to grow in our basement.
If October was the pre-game, then November was Super Bowl Sunday! In exactly one month we went from the first swing of the demo hammer to having the project painted, carpeted and the furniture delivered, ready to sit and relax for just 2 days before our Florida vacation was to begin. I still cant recall much of that month
That might explain why we left getting the passports until a week prior to traveling. We took the mug shots a couple of weeks back (WOW do they look BAD!) Id swear we were profiled on Americas Most Wanted! And to think I thought the drivers license photo was horrible! Mind you after a long day of sitting and waiting in airports we probably will look an awful lot like our passports!
Now, its not like anything could go wrong, could it? Naw, not to me, were going to Disney, right?. We gladly paid the extra $35 per passport to have them express-posted to the passport office versus regular snail mail which might not have arrived in time. Our flight leaves on Saturday Decemeber 11th, and the passports are to arrive in Winnipeg on Friday the 3rd We plan on picking them up Monday the 6th, along with getting our travellers cheques, trip insurance, maps, filling out the customs Y38 form (proving we brought our electronics into the US and didnt buy them there supposedly cuts down the hassle of duty etc upon our return) etc. In all a full day of final preparations.
We start with the passports Were asked to check them over for any errors - DSs is fine, as is DWs. I usually skim things like this what could be wrong? Okay, Ill play along Hold the phone there Myrtle - mine has the wrong birthdate!
Just a minute there Jim, theres a flag on the play!
Seems someone in the office is a little dyslexic, and instead of entering my date of birth as the 30th of April they gave me the 03rd of April. Nice.
How long to get this fixed maam? Whats that? Do I have my application form? Oh I see. If I wrote the birthdate wrong it would be at least a week, in which case Id be SOL.
Uh huh, thats nice, thanks! Oh but wait! Whats that? I got my own birthdate correct? Ah now, see I thought I might know that one Will they ask me that on the Hot Seat at Millonaire?
So the error was on your end? Okay uh huh, yeah, and so how long, now? Only 2 days you say? Hmmm.
Now why would that be? My fault wait a week. Your fault 2 day turn around. Again I say Hmmm. Oh well we still have time to get it before the trip starts. Lets go see the Customs people. Yay!
Its 2nd and 20 now.
Last year we went to the office out by the airport and lugged all cameras and video camera etc in to record the serial numbers etc on this little, official-looking green card called a Y-38. The nice uniformed officer gave us the form and we filled it out didnt ask to see the cameras, or verify the information, just gave us the very official STAMP on the card. This year, since weve bought a new digital video camera and are also taking the lap-top, were getting a new Y38. And based on last years proceedings, we arent carrying all that stuff into the office. We havent even brought it in the Explorer to take with us. Anybody want to guess how this stop went?
Firstly, no uniformed officer here today just an elderly couple, Ma and Pa Kettle I think I called them to DW slower than dirt, and very content to stay that way.
Yes. Wed like to get a Y-38 for our upcoming trip?
A Y-38. Green card thingy? For when we return? Dont have to pay duty, shows we took the items with us, and didnt buy them while gone?
He goes to ask her. She stares at him like my grandma used to stare at grand-dad when she didnt hear him ask her a question. He comes back. Fumbles for awhile under the counter and finally produces a green Y-38 card.
No. We dont have them here. We didnt need them last year. We just filled out the form, and he stamped it. (Didnt you get the memo?)
He goes back to talk to her again. She comes to see us.
Have to have the items? Always been done that way? No maam, dont remember his name. Wore a uniform. Right here. Yes. Right at this desk. Yes. Allright then. Thank you!
Oh! Holding called on that last pass attempt Frank! Theyre looking at 3rd and long now.
Luckily we didnt need to visit anymore government departments this morning. CAA had our travellers cheques , trip insurance and maps all ready to go, and The Running Room had the filter-waterbottle we were looking for.
Quick, lets get home before they realize we accomplished something!!
Thursday morning (December 9th) and DS wakes up with a bad chest cough and stuffy head.
The quarterback goes down hard behind the line of scrimmage! And he fumbles the ball!!
I keep telling myself that if we can just get to Orlando, it will all work out just fine!
I managed to get my passport without any hassles today. (I gave them the benefit of the extra day) and we revisited Ma and Pa Kettle at Customs with our backpack full of electronics (hereafter dubbed the nerve center) and he was kind enough to fill out the Y-38 form and STAMP it too! My day was going so well, that I even splurged and spent the extra five bucks to upgrade from the towncar to the limo to pick us up Saturday morning. What the heck!
We celebrated our achievements by watching DSs Christmas concert in the afternoon, and spent Friday alternating between packing and panicking. DS was wound tighter than a spring all that evening, and finally went to sleep around ten.
As a nurse, DW is a firm believer in heavily medicating young children if it benefits vacation plans
We let him sleep in his clothes makes it easier to pluck him from his bed and plunk him into the limo in the wee hours tomorrow. And we fall into bed praying the coach calls a time-out
Link to my pictures from the trip!!
Link to Part 3!
