DIS Dads DDC XXXIV: The Original Home Of The DISDads!!!

[pkondz]

Mornin' all.
I GOT A DAY OFF!!!!
I don't know what to do with it.

There was no call to 911 yesterday so that was good.

Always a good thing.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Mornin' all.
I GOT A DAY OFF!!!!
I don't know what to do with it.

Steal everyone's left shoe.

 

[declansdad]

Steal everyone's left shoe.

What if they don't have a left shoe?

 

[pkondz]

Steal everyone's left shoe.

Done! er... now what.

What if they don't have a left shoe?

I have two.

 

[declansdad]

Done! er... now what.



I have two.

Left shoes?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Done! er... now what.

Crap. I was hoping that would take longer.

 

[pkondz]

Left shoes?

For my two left feet.

Crap. I was hoping that would take longer.

Nah. I'm very efficient when it comes to being bad.

 

[AirGoofy]

Posted this on DDC FB, but thought I would make you suffer as well.

We are leaving Saturday for WDW. The grass, er um weeds, had almost grown to the mailbox. I'm an hour away on campus at noon and there's a storm forecasted at 2:30. I drive home, have to drive to get gas, replace the spark plug, and finally get the lawn mower started. The good news is that I finished cutting the grass. The bad news is that it was a storm and rained enough on me to enter a wet t-shirt contest. The best news is there are no pictures of that to post for you.

 

[AirGoofy]

Car is in the dealer, getting a head gasket repair and timing chain replacement. Anyone want to buy a kidney?

Your not my blood type.

Does it come with a nice chianti?

:

There was no call to 911 yesterday so that was good. Smoke alarm changed and while I was up there, decided to clean out the AC filter. it really needed it. Then the water in the downstairs crapper wouldn't stop running so a trip to Home Depot for a new flow valve and that was fixed. After yesterday, the motivation is gone and other than a little writing, I am done. Will pick up with the to do list tomorrow. Really sucks when you are a slave to your own honey do list.

Sounds like more work than in a whole season. Take a vacation to Florida and enjoy the nice weather.

Hello gang. Long time, no type.

I'm helping my father-in-law book a cruise for the whole family and want the help of a pro. Anyone know if Stopher has a website?

Nice to see you Chris.

Stopher's is "I can show you the World" Cruise planners. We has website, you tube, etc. Aaron has also opened his own travel business.

 

[MarbleBob]

Hey guys! Another newbie here… well, not so new to the DIS but new to this sub-forum. Not sure why I've never chimed in before, but I figured that I might as well now

My real name is Matt. I live in the western suburbs of St. Louis. I manage an IT team by day… and in my spare time, I love gardening, skateboarding, and of course Disney!!!

We live about 2.5 hours from Marceline, MO. (Walt's boyhood hometown. Amazing place, all Disney fans should make a pilgrimage someday!!!!) We're about 15 hours from WDW (we normally drive.) And 26 hours from Disneyland (yeah, we actually made that drive last summer. Fun!!!)

Luckily, DW is just as big of a Disney fan as I am (if not even more.) We had both been as kids, but our first trip to WDW together was on our honeymoon in 1998.

We've been going back fairly steadily ever since. As far as being a DIS Dad, I've got three kids (DD 16, DS 13, DD 8) They are all pretty stoked on the parks and Walt Disney too himself too.

My oldest DD:

My DS:

My youngest DD:

I guess that's enough of a intro/background. What's next for us?

My in-laws are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by taking us all to Hawaii in June. We've never been before, so we are super stoked on that. None of DW's family are into Disney enough to want to visit Aulani, so we decided to rent DVC points and tack on a few extra nights on our own. So that was going to be our only Disney property experience this year.

And now, we have a somewhat unusual trip planned for May. The background:

Last summer, I read Lee Cockerell's book, "Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney." If you aren't familiar with Lee, he was Executive Vice President of Operations at WDW throughout the 90's and into the mid-2000's. Pretty much in charge of all 4 parks, all 20 resorts, waterparks, shopping, etc. He built a tremendous reputation within the company and is responsible for so many of the programs that we as guests love today. The book is pretty much about what you'd expect from the title. But it's awesome. Seriously awesome, and worth a read even if you aren't currently in a position of influence where you work. I've since drank the kool-aid and also read his time management book and listen to his weekly podcast too. Really. Good. Stuff!!!



Anyway, while he was at Disney, he had a huge influence on the "Disney Institute", which aims to teach Disney's leadership strategies to people like you and me...


https://disneyinstitute.com/

They have courses that teach many of the same principles (as well as others) in classroom environments.

After reading the book, I thought, how cool would it be to actually attend onsite leadership training?!?!? I shared the book with my boss last year, and he loved it too. We've since shared it with a few others at our office... and they liked it too. Anyway, I floated the idea of attending the leadership course last fall, and we penciled it into the budget. (Just me as the guinea pig this year.) I recently found out that our training budget was approved and I have the green light to move forward!!!!

So yeah, I'll be staying at the Boardwalk Inn for the first time. Sweet!!! So then, I thought, why not see if DW wants to tag along and join me? We will be depleting our vacation budget in Hawaii, so we didn't really consider bringing the kids along. And the original plan for DW was to not purchase park tickets and just explore and visit the resorts all week. Which is something that we've both always thought would be cool to do…

Except for once I was registered, I found out that two day park hopper tickets were included in my course. Hmm… I can't pass up some free time in the parks can I? I'm cool going by myself in the evenings after training, but it would be more fun to go with wifey. And then I found out that I can purchase additional tickets for my party at a steep discount. We might as well have DW get tickets too. Oh wait, 50% off rack rate for the room?!?! And it can be extended before or after the conference? It would be irresponsible not to at least add another night right? And it gets better... I can upgrade my two day hopper to a three day hopper for like $70 more? Sure!!

So we tell the kids…. We're going to WDW in May. "Dad has some work related training and mom will be tagging along and exploring by herself during the days." Of course, they were pretty jealous. Sorry, there isn't enough money in the budget to get you guys WDW tickets too. But remember, we're going to Hawaii in June!!!! So yeah, they think they'll be spending the week at their grandparents while we are off having fun.

But as many of you other DIS Dads might do in my shoes… I start to feel guilty about not taking the kids. You know what? Boardwalk Inn does sleep 5, we "could" bring the kids and it wouldn't cost any extra for lodging. Also, DD 8 turns 9 in June and will start counting as an adult… this is our last chance to get her in on kids prices. Oh, and DD16 and DS13 have been to WDW a lot more than DD8, that's not really fair. And those discounted tickets are just too good of a deal to pass up on, right?!?!? When you add all this up, we'd be bad parents if we didn't just bite the bullet and bring them with us, right? Well, right or wrong, we convinced ourselves it was right. So we raided some rainy day money that we've had set aside.

The fun part is, the kids still don't know they'll be coming with us. Tickets are purchased. FP+'s locked in on MDI. Magic Bands are all set for delivery. Etc. We surprised them in the middle of the night for a trip once before (woke them up and headed to the airport immediately) and it was fun! I think this time, we'll let them sweat it out for a while and probably tell them a couple days before we leave so that at least the older two can get all their clothes and gear in order on their own. But it will still be a surprise.

So yeah, super excited about this for several reasons: #1. I'm really looking forward to taking this Disney Institute course and then coming back and sharing what I learned at the office. From everything I gather, these courses are spectacular. #2. I get to visit WDW world this year after all, even if park time is only for one full day and a couple evenings. #3. The rest of the family gets a bonus trip! Yahoo!!!

If you are still reading along, I guess thanks… and Hello again!!! I really didn't intend to write such a long intro, but oh well.

Cheers!

 

[pkondz]

The bad news is that it was a storm and rained enough on me to enter a wet t-shirt contest.

Noooo!!!!! Shield thine eyes!

The best news is there are no pictures of that to post for you.

Oh thank Gawd.

Hey guys! Another newbie here

My in-laws are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by taking us all to Hawaii in June.

How does one marry into this family?

The book is pretty much about what you'd expect from the title. But it's awesome. Seriously awesome, and worth a read

Thanks for the head's up. Might have to look that one up.

I recently found out that our training budget was approved and I have the green light to move forward!!!!

Nice!

 

[BigTikiDaddy]

Hey, hey! Great to hear from ya. Where have ya been?

Welcome back. Did you get lost in the beer section?

good to hear from you sir.
Hope all is well.

Yeah it's been a while, busy as heck with work and trying to scrape up the funds for this years trip. Stupid Canadian Dollar.

Norm, I could never get lost in there, I am there more then home some weeks, although Last week I got some laughs by pretending to be lost in the opposite side of the store.

 

[wasnotafan]

Posted this on DDC FB, but thought I would make you suffer as well.

We are leaving Saturday for WDW. The grass, er um weeds, had almost grown to the mailbox. I'm an hour away on campus at noon and there's a storm forecasted at 2:30. I drive home, have to drive to get gas, replace the spark plug, and finally get the lawn mower started. The good news is that I finished cutting the grass. The bad news is that it was a storm and rained enough on me to enter a wet t-shirt contest. The best news is there are no pictures of that to post for you.

Enjoy your trip. You may want to visit CJ and set up the camper. I see our Governor just instituted a 4.5% budget cut for all higher education institutions with only 3 months left in the year.

 

[AirGoofy]

Hey guys! Another newbie here… well, not so new to the DIS but new to this sub-forum. Not sure why I've never chimed in before, but I figured that I might as well now

!

Welcome. Dues are payable in dole whips, beer, bacon, or cake. You email 800+ to me and then I send to all the guys. DW and I honeymooned at WDW in 2000 and I have one of those thinner pictures of me and the Mrs. I hope you are a Cardinals fan, in which case, you are more than welcome. We don't have a MLB team here in KY, but we had NL central games on the TV all the time. So, I grew up a Reds and Cardinals fan. As for Boardwalk, we own DVC at that resort and it is definitely worth it. We are leaving for there on Saturday.

Noooo!!!!! Shield thine eyes!
!

Yes, I had to pass by the bathroom mirror. It wasn't a good site.

Norm, I could never get lost in there, I am there more then home some weeks, although Last week I got some laughs by pretending to be lost in the opposite side of the store.

I didn't figure you could. I follow your journeys there on FB and just hadn't seen you over here in awhile.

 

[AirGoofy]

Enjoy your trip. You may want to visit CJ and set up the camper. I see our Governor just instituted a 4.5% budget cut for all higher education institutions with only 3 months left in the year.

Yes, we can offset it my not filling vacant positions, which really makes one ask where all that money is going.

 

[MarbleBob]

Welcome. Dues are payable in dole whips, beer, bacon, or cake. You email 800+ to me and then I send to all the guys. DW and I honeymooned at WDW in 2000 and I have one of those thinner pictures of me and the Mrs. I hope you are a Cardinals fan, in which case, you are more than welcome. We don't have a MLB team here in KY, but we had NL central games on the TV all the time. So, I grew up a Reds and Cardinals fan. As for Boardwalk, we own DVC at that resort and it is definitely worth it. We are leaving for there on Saturday.

Gotta love those thinner pictures, and the ones with more hair too!!!

Yes, been a Cards fan all my life, but admittedly more of a fair weathered fan these days... as I generally don't follow sports teams closely throughout the year. But yeah, St. Louis loves their Cardinals and Let's go Blues too!!! (And most had a "take it or leave it" attitude with the Rams.)

Hope you have a great time in WDW next week. Sounds wonderful

 

[MarbleBob]

How does one marry into this family?

Thanks! Yeah, I lucked into a family that likes to travel. But unfortunately, they aren't big Disney fans. On the other hand Lucky for DW, my parents go to WDW 2 or 3 times as often as we do.... And they like to bring us with them. I think she feels like the lucky one. But regardless, yeah super lucky to have married into a generous family

 

[budamacdvcr]

Hello gang. Long time, no type.

I'm helping my father-in-law book a cruise for the whole family and want the help of a pro. Anyone know if Stopher has a website?

Chris - nice of ya to stop by, visit more often and trust the family is doing well.

Mornin' all.
I GOT A DAY OFF!!!!
I don't know what to do with it.

Start planning a WDW trip

Hey guys! Another newbie here… well, not so new to the DIS but new to this sub-forum. Not sure why I've never chimed in before, but I figured that I might as well now

My real name is Matt. I live in the western suburbs of St. Louis. I manage an IT team by day… and in my spare time, I love gardening, skateboarding, and of course Disney!!!

We live about 2.5 hours from Marceline, MO. (Walt's boyhood hometown. Amazing place, all Disney fans should make a pilgrimage someday!!!!) We're about 15 hours from WDW (we normally drive.) And 26 hours from Disneyland (yeah, we actually made that drive last summer. Fun!!!)

Luckily, DW is just as big of a Disney fan as I am (if not even more.) We had both been as kids, but our first trip to WDW together was on our honeymoon in 1998.

We've been going back fairly steadily ever since. As far as being a DIS Dad, I've got three kids (DD 16, DS 13, DD 8) They are all pretty stoked on the parks and Walt Disney too himself too.

My oldest DD:

My DS:

My youngest DD:

I guess that's enough of a intro/background. What's next for us?

My in-laws are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by taking us all to Hawaii in June. We've never been before, so we are super stoked on that. None of DW's family are into Disney enough to want to visit Aulani, so we decided to rent DVC points and tack on a few extra nights on our own. So that was going to be our only Disney property experience this year.

And now, we have a somewhat unusual trip planned for May. The background:

Last summer, I read Lee Cockerell's book, "Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney." If you aren't familiar with Lee, he was Executive Vice President of Operations at WDW throughout the 90's and into the mid-2000's. Pretty much in charge of all 4 parks, all 20 resorts, waterparks, shopping, etc. He built a tremendous reputation within the company and is responsible for so many of the programs that we as guests love today. The book is pretty much about what you'd expect from the title. But it's awesome. Seriously awesome, and worth a read even if you aren't currently in a position of influence where you work. I've since drank the kool-aid and also read his time management book and listen to his weekly podcast too. Really. Good. Stuff!!!



Anyway, while he was at Disney, he had a huge influence on the "Disney Institute", which aims to teach Disney's leadership strategies to people like you and me...


https://disneyinstitute.com/

They have courses that teach many of the same principles (as well as others) in classroom environments.

After reading the book, I thought, how cool would it be to actually attend onsite leadership training?!?!? I shared the book with my boss last year, and he loved it too. We've since shared it with a few others at our office... and they liked it too. Anyway, I floated the idea of attending the leadership course last fall, and we penciled it into the budget. (Just me as the guinea pig this year.) I recently found out that our training budget was approved and I have the green light to move forward!!!!

So yeah, I'll be staying at the Boardwalk Inn for the first time. Sweet!!! So then, I thought, why not see if DW wants to tag along and join me? We will be depleting our vacation budget in Hawaii, so we didn't really consider bringing the kids along. And the original plan for DW was to not purchase park tickets and just explore and visit the resorts all week. Which is something that we've both always thought would be cool to do…

Except for once I was registered, I found out that two day park hopper tickets were included in my course. Hmm… I can't pass up some free time in the parks can I? I'm cool going by myself in the evenings after training, but it would be more fun to go with wifey. And then I found out that I can purchase additional tickets for my party at a steep

Done a couple of sessions at Disney institute myself, they are real good.

 

[budamacdvcr]

Yes, been a Cards fan all my life, but admittedly more of a fair weathered fan these days... as I generally don't follow sports teams closely throughout the year. But yeah, St. Louis loves their Cardinals and Let's go Blues too!

May have to take back the welcome ".......

 

[MarbleBob]

May have to take back the welcome ".......

Ha!! I lived in Chicago for a couple years and was happy to join my friends in rooting for the Black Hawks. Not so much with the Cubs though