Disney Every Day - Update 10/21 – 1, 2, 3! We’re Leaving for Orlando Tomorrow!

[Victoriasmom98]

What a wonderful way to start out your Disney trip ---- meeting me and Shannon at Sci Fi!!! I couldn't think of anything better! I was getting a bit concerned there with the "let's talk" conversation, but you made it work. I am so very proud of the job you are doing. I remember reading when you were unemployed and how you were unsure, etc. But look at you now!! You're a SUPASTAR!!!! Way to go! I'm really glad you were able to fit in US and IOA. I honestly think you can do a park a day --- I know you definitely can with US as we did it last year and didn't miss much.

As for being friends on the boards.....I swear we all know each other better than the friends in real life. I for one tell you way more than I tell the people around me. Let's face it, we've been reading about each other's lives now for at least 3 years, so of course we are friends. I really don't think there is a distinction between real life friends and Disboard friends. You are just FRIENDS. Plain and simple!!!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I am so glad you were able to figure out new plans. You can always buy the express once you are in the parks and see if you really need them.

That’s a good idea, Shannon! It’ll be great if the crowds aren’t too bad and I can save that money for souvenirs or something. Thanks!

What a wonderful way to start out your Disney trip ---- meeting me and Shannon at Sci Fi!!! I couldn't think of anything better! I was getting a bit concerned there with the "let's talk" conversation, but you made it work. I am so very proud of the job you are doing. I remember reading when you were unemployed and how you were unsure, etc. But look at you now!! You're a SUPASTAR!!!! Way to go! I'm really glad you were able to fit in US and IOA. I honestly think you can do a park a day --- I know you definitely can with US as we did it last year and didn't miss much.

As for being friends on the boards.....I swear we all know each other better than the friends in real life. I for one tell you way more than I tell the people around me. Let's face it, we've been reading about each other's lives now for at least 3 years, so of course we are friends. I really don't think there is a distinction between real life friends and Disboard friends. You are just FRIENDS. Plain and simple!!!!

I know! It will be a great way to start the trip! Yes, I’m a Superstar like Molly Shannon! I used to love that character on SNL Seriously, though, I am pleased with the new plans – and it’s good to hear that you guys were able to do a lot in UO in two days. I think the kids and I can get in most of what we want to do.

You’re right, we are friends! No need to categorize it as “online” or whatever It feels like I have known you and a lot of other people on the boards forever!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

The kids and I saw Disney on Ice: Treasure Trove a few weekends ago! It was amazing, as usual! This was the third Disney on Ice show for me and True and the second for Coy. We love stage shows and ice skating shows, so this was a great mix of both. The show retold scenes from Disney animated movies and, even though some of the characters were ones that the kids and I have seen during other Disney on Ice shows, this show was completely different.

The kids and I were in Row B, Seats 6, 7 and 8. Yes, ladies and gents, we were SECOND ROW CENTER!!! It was an amazing section and we are now officially spoiled! The next time one of these shows is in town, we will have to have similar seats! Here is the view from our seats:



Here is a picture of the kids I took from standing in front of the stage:



True was in the pink sweatshirt and Coy was in the orange jacket with the hood up. The kids were so embarrassed and refused to wave or anything! LOL! Sorry, kids! Next, there was a little pre-show of sorts. Really, it was just a couple of guys throwing around these circular objects that boomeranged back to them:



There were people going all around selling merchandise and snacks before the show. It was 11am , so I wasn’t planning on getting the kids anything until intermission, but the kids said they were starving and nothing would save them other than cotton candy!



As you can see from the picture, I caved. I am truly ashamed to say that I paid $12 each for those bags of cotton candy! $24 for air and two Mickey hats?!?!? Well, this goes to show you, the Disney mark-up applies to things outside of the parks, as well! But the kids loved the candy and shared with me. Plus, we have these cool red Mickey Ears to add to our collection:



The lights lowered and a couple of ice skaters came out in these neon outfits. They were encouraging the audience to get up, stretch and move around! No one in the first two rows did it! Haha! I didn’t turn around to see if anyone else was doing it because the ice skaters introduced The Incredibles! They are my favorite Disney family! I love that movie, so when Mr. Incredible told us to get up out of our seats to jog in place, I wanted to do it! Of course, my kids didn’t want to do it, so we stayed in our seats LOL! I took a few pictures with my point-and-shoot that didn’t turn out very well:











It was a fun part of the show, even without the audience participation, and my kids and I enjoyed it. Next up was Alice in Wonderland:



I wish I had video because she came out to a Disney version of Kesha’s “Tick Tock”! Haha! I was hoping that other parts of the show would incorporate modern music, but they didn’t. Watching Alice skate to Tick Tock was awesome, though!







After I unsuccessfully took a few pictures of Alice, I remembered the Fast Burst Camera app I had on my phone! I hoped I could get a few good action shots with that! I started snapping away and – even though the shots weren’t perfect by any means – the pictures were much better than with my point-and-shoot! The fast shutter speed helped me to capture things a bit better! There is probably a way to adjust the shutter speed on my point-and-shoot but stupid me didn’t read the instruction manual yet! LOL! It’s on my desk right now so that I can read it at some point, I promise! Haha! Anyway, I took 586 pictures on that app! Wow, right?!? Now I see why photographers take so many pictures! I had a lot of opportunities to get fairly decent shots and it was kind of addictive to keep pushing the shutter button! LOL!

So, less talk, more pictures, right? I won’t post all 586 LOL but this is about to get pretty picture heavy! If you get bored, I will not be upset if you just scroll through! LOL! So, anyway, I said “less talk” didn’t I? Sorry! Here are some more pictures of Alice:













Next up was Peter Pan. Coy really got a kick out of seeing this crocodile:



Sorry about the poor quality. The smoke and the spotlight didn’t help with that picture! The glare caused by the spotlights wasn’t great on this picture, either, but here’s Wendy:



Then I saw Tink!!! I’ll have to continue this in the next post. I warned you that it was photo heavy!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

True was holding on to my arm, so I said, “Sorry, baby, but you have to let go! Tink is my FAVORITE!” and I grabbed the point and shoot so I could get a close-up!



Not a great picture, but you can sort of see the detail of her wings. OK, I’m going to try to stop apologizing for my pictures! I am a perfectionist and I really wanted some better pics! But these are WAY better than the pics I took at other Disney on Ice shows, so I will stop complaining! Or, at least I’ll try! LOL! When Coy heard, “Yo ho, Yo ho! A pirate’s life for me!” he said, “They are doing this song for the wrong movie!” and I laughed so hard! The kids and I need to have a Peter Pan movie night since we just got that movie in the mail. Anyway, here’s a few pics:







Next up was an intermission. Since the kids finished their cotton candy, they were in need of more sustenance! Off we went in search of food. We stood in line at the concession stand, so we busied ourselves with taking pictures. The infamous $12 cotton candy:



Tinker Bell fairy wings:



Mom, can I have the Tinker Bell wings, please? Oh, wait. I am the mom! Oh well! True took this picture of me and Coy. I hate this picture of me, but Coy looks so handsome! See how tall he is?!?



Coy and his Snow Cone in a souvenir cup:





True and her Tink cup:



Both kids with their souvenir cups:



And I got one, too!!!





Moms can get cool souvenirs too! Maybe not Tink wings, but a Tink cup for sure! Coy said that the concession stand dude looked at me funny when I said that I wanted a snow cone too. Well, I have two things to say about that. #1 I highly doubt that I was the only parent getting something for themselves #2 I don’t care! At those prices, concession stand dudes can judge me all they like! LOL! For the three snow cones and popcorn in a souvenir bucket, I paid $57!!! Great googly moogly! (Ten points if you know who said “Great googly moogly”)

Cheers!



They also had toys, which I believe were $22 each and I think the dolls were $30:







Yep, it says $30 right there!

We made it back to our seats and the show began shortly after. Lion King was up next and they had a cool looking Pride Rock:



Some more blurry pictures, yes? These are the wildebeests. I’m only showing you this because the costumes were so cool and I hope you can get an idea of what they looked like:



Simba and Nala:



Animals telling us about the Circle of Life:





And, finally, we have Pumba giving us a big smile for the camera!



Once again, I’ll continue in the next post!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Next, the Fantastic Four came out to tell us what was coming up next:



I call them the Fantastic Four because Pluto was conspicuously absent! Don’t dogs know how to ice skate? Goofy can do it! Why can’t Pluto? I never understood why Goofy was a friend but Pluto was a pet. Does anyone know why? Anyway, a brief retelling of Snow White was next. When the dwarfs came out, True only counted six:



Then Dopey stumbled out and clumsily skated past all of them. There were a lot of spotlights during Snow White’s story, so I didn’t get any good pictures. I love twirling dresses, though, so I am going to post this one anyway:



Next up was Aladdin. I got a couple of pictures of the cast skating to “Prince Ali” and even a picture of Aladdin and Jasmine on a magic carpet:







It was at this point that Coy noticed that the ice skater who played Peter Pan was one of the chorus for Aladdin! Very observant! After that, he kept pointing out to me when he saw the main character in one story in the chorus of another. He also said that one of the girls from A.N.T. Farm was supposed to be in the show, but he never saw her. I actually just looked it up and she was in Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream! I’m not sure if it was a one-time thing or if she toured with the skating company, but how cool would it be if we saw her when we saw that show last year?

The Little Mermaid was next, and I didn’t try to take too many pictures of this because the black light and the spotlights made it very difficult to get a good shot. The glow-in-the-dark costumes were amazing, though! I wish you could get a better idea from these ridiculously terrible pictures, but here’s Sebastian:



Here is Ariel (just be nice and pretend that you can see her! LOL!) and Sebastian:



Then lanterns filled the sky:



Unfortunately, I didn’t get even one semi-decent shot of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider in the Tangled scene. Sorry! Then Mickey and Minnie came out in the cutest outfits! Mickey is washed out by the spotlight in this pic, but you can kinda see Minnie:



Mickey and Minnie were introducing one of my favorite Disney couple – Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen!:



















Yeah, I took a lot of pictures of them because this was one of the few scenes without glaring spotlights! I was actually happy with a few of these pics. Continued in one last post – I promise that will be the last one!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

After Tiana and Naveen finished up their dance from The Princess and the Frog, they lead a processional out onto the skating rink. All of the princesses came out in their beautiful gowns.



Along with Tiana and Naveen, you can finally see Rapunzel and Flynn!



















Cinderella and Belle:



Aurora and Mulan:



Snow White and Jasmine:



Ariel and Eric



Then there were fireworks!





Bye, Tiana!



The show was amazing, as always! I would highly recommend Disney on Ice for anyone who needs a little Disney fix! Just remember that there is always a serious markup when Disney merchandise is concerned!
I finally got to get a picture of the kids in front of the stage:



Then I asked a cast member to take a picture of me and the kids together:



I like that picture a lot better than the other one of me! LOL! We headed for the parking lot – along with about 3000 other people – and got in line for the elevator. Seriously, there was a line for the elevator. We were on the first floor and our car was on the fifth, but we decided to hoof it up all of those flights of steps rather than wait in the never-ending elevator line. It was good practice since we need to start working on our Disney legs! Only five months to get in shape!!! Coy is in remarkably good shape, considering that he spends most of his day in front of the computer or playing his Xbox! Haha! True is in good shape, too, because she often walks with my mom. True has even wants to start a dog walking business! Oh, and she wants to mow lawns! Where did this girl come from, because she is WAY more into manual labor than I was at 9 years old! LOL! Anyway, we all managed to get to our car without getting winded and we pulled out of the parking space… about 10 inches. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. In the meantime, I sent a text to my sisters saying we were on our way. If I am not mistaken, it took us over 30 minutes to exit the garage! That’s OK, though, because I still had to finish my snow cone! I couldn’t drive and eat that!

We eventually made it over to my sisters’ place and the kids spent time playing with our favorite pup, Bruno. They stopped long enough for me to get a few pictures:







When I showed my pictures of the ice show to my sisters, Ashley asked, “Did you even get to watch the show?” LOL! Yes, believe it or not, I was able to enjoy the show, but I did end up taking pictures more often than I was just sitting back and watching. So, that taught me that when we are in WDW, I’ll have to decide if I want to get the pictures of a show/parade or if I just want to watch it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get to see Wishes a couple of times and I can try to get pictures of the fireworks during one show. If not, there is always next time to get the pictures. I have a feeling I will just want to soak it all in when the kids and I are there. But I will get a few pictures and I will practice with my point-and-shoot and my phone until then!

 

[Alysa]

Awww - the show looked great. I like how it was a little more boy friendly too. You got such wonderful photos! I think next year I will have to splurge on better seats. And you bought THREE cups! You rock!

 

[Rx774]

Congrats on your upcoming trip. Sorry to read that you've had to put it off so many times, but the most important part is that you are doing it this time around. Also happy belated.

We will be coming back from Disney on the 23rd of August, we can not wait either.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Awww - the show looked great. I like how it was a little more boy friendly too. You got such wonderful photos! I think next year I will have to splurge on better seats. And you bought THREE cups! You rock!

It was so much fun, Alysa! Yes, this was a lot more boy-friendly than other shows that we saw. You think those pics were good? Well, I’m my own worst critic and I am always comparing myself to Karen and Hope but thank you for the compliment! They did turn out better than the ones I’ve taken before I got REALLY lucky getting those seats. I’m not sure if I mentioned it when I got the tickets, but I got a postcard notifying me of a pre-sale to “preferred” guests, so I was able to get those seats for much cheaper than they were selling for after the pre-sale Now that you have been to a show, you are probably a preferred guest, too!

Congrats on your upcoming trip. Sorry to read that you've had to put it off so many times, but the most important part is that you are doing it this time around. Also happy belated.

We will be coming back from Disney on the 23rd of August, we can not wait either.

Thank you so much for reading! I know that was no easy task since I haven’t kept up with my chapter links! Yes, we’ve had to put of the trip more times than I can count, but that will just make this trip that much sweeter, right? Thank you for the birthday wishes! I see you have a PTR in your sig – I’ll have to pop over there and read about your upcoming trip!

 

[micandminforever]

Your trip plans look great. I am glad you were able to fit Sea World in. The two times we have made it to Universal we have been able finish up by 5:00, so you should be able get back for you ADR at Disney. The key as always is be at rope drop before the crowd arrives.

Your pictures of Disney on Ice were wonderful, thanks so much for posting them.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Watch out Erin, you are starting to take as many pictures as me! Before you know it, you'll be sucked in, buying the latest DSLR and have a camera attached to you at all times!

Looks like a blast! I wish we were closer to a city that did these things. I did notice that Disney on Ice was going to the same venue we went to for Taylor Swift last Tuesday, but it's an hour and a half drive and too long for me to be away from my petsitting usually to go into St. Louis!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I debated whether or not to post about this, but it has been something weighing heavily on my mind and now I can finally say that it is over! I didn’t want to write about it before because…well, you’ll see. My ex-husband sued me for custody of our kids. Don’t worry! The judge hearing our case yesterday dismissed it and basically ripped my ex-husband a new one for wasting the court’s time! So everything is fine, my kids are still home where they belong and there wasn’t ever any REAL danger of our custody agreement changing. But that didn’t stop me from worrying the past few months anyway! They are my kids, after all, and anyone threatening their well-being brings out the Mama Bear in me!

Let’s start from the beginning – back when we divorced in 2005, my ex and I mutually agreed that we would share custody of the kids and I would have physical custody of them. My ex would have liberal visitation rights – meaning that he could see them any time that he wanted. The judge who entered in the custody order actually commended us for agreeing so readily to this arrangement and said he wished he had it so easy with other couples! Fast forward to last July. Coy and I had a really stupid argument and, like most teenagers have done at one point or another, he said he wanted to go live with his dad because he hated me I didn’t think anything of it because 13 year olds are emotional, hormonal and full of teenage angst! How many times did I tell my parents that I hated them and that I wanted to move out? But my parents were still married, so I never really had an option of moving! Anyway, the fight was over almost as soon as it began, but at some point, Coy sent a text to his dad saying that he wanted to live with him because I was “mean”.

My ex and I have very little communication with each other – especially since he was ordered by the court last year to pay child support and to pay the arrears that he owed from when he wasn’t paying – so my ex didn’t ever say anything to me about Coy’s request to live with him. As it turns out, Coy called his dad the very next day and said he didn’t mean it and he was just mad at me. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop his dad from going to the court to file for full custody of him and True! Coy called me at work one day, frantic, because his dad told him that he was on his way to file for custody. The poor thing was so nervous he’d have to live with his dad and he felt guilty for ever saying anything about not wanting to live with me. I tried to get him to calm down by telling him that I would talk to his dad and work everything out. Well, when I called my ex, he was completely unreasonable and refused to discuss any other arrangements. My ex, who only sees the kids every other weekend, wanted to have full custody of them.

Now, I have my own theory on why he was so quick to pull the trigger on filing for custody. When he and I went to get the child support modified, the judge said that since we shared custody of them, the financial responsibility fell on both of us equally. It was during that hearing that my ex had to make arrangements to pay the arrears. I don’t want to put too much of our personal business out there, but he doesn’t just owe me a few hundred dollars of child support. He doesn’t just owe $10,000. He doesn’t just owe $20,000. He doesn’t just owe $30,000. I think you can see where I am going with this. He didn’t pay me child support for a LONG time! So, my theory is that he asked for full custody of the kids so that I would have to pay him child support! My lawyer actually believed that was the case as well. So did my family. So did everyone! I mean, he has every right to see his kids every day if he wants to see them that often. No one is making him only see the kids every other weekend. That has always been his choice. As a matter of fact, while all of this nonsense with the custody was going on, he never made any effort to see the kids more often than every other weekend! More importantly, he had no case. I am a good mom. I don’t abuse my kids, neglect them, or do anything that anyone would ever complain about. I am involved in my kids’ lives and I enjoy being their mother. The fact that my ex would file for custody of them was insulting, frankly.

As soon as I got served the papers for the hearing in August, I got a lawyer. As you may know, my brother works in a law office. They are actually a very well-respected law firm that handles divorce and custody matters. So I was happy that I had my brother as a contact there! I told Kyle that I wanted a shark! I wanted to hire someone who would make my ex wish he had never heard the word “custody”! I was going to go after my ex with both barrels! I told you, I went into Mama Bear mode! Well, Kyle told me that the lawyer I was describing was about $700 an hour! Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen! But Kyle did put me into contact with an excellent lawyer who did a fantastic job! From the very beginning, she assured me I had nothing to worry about. Basically, the suit was frivolous because my ex hadn’t given any solid reasons for wanting to take full custody of the kids.

We had a status hearing in December. My ex didn’t show up with a lawyer and he refused to talk to mine to try to resolve the matter out of court. When we appeared before the judge, he asked my ex what his reasons were for wanting to take custody of the kids. My ex filed under “material change in circumstances” but all he was able to tell the judge was that he wanted custody of the kids because I was getting in the way of his relationship with his son. Um… #1 WHAT?!? And #2 HOW exactly was I coming in between his relationship with Coy? And #3 he couldn’t think of anything better than that? The judge actually said to him that he would have to have more to his case than that if he was going to prove “material change in circumstances” because his perception that his relationship was struggling with his son was not enough. But, everyone gets their day in court, so the judge set a trial date for yesterday.

Between December and yesterday, my lawyer tried to reach out to my ex to settle with him by offering more defined visitation times. She also sent over discovery documents for him to answer. Well, my ex never contacted her about any of that. So, fast forward again to yesterday and we appeared in front of the judge. My ex still didn’t have a lawyer and he had the nerve to ask for a continuance! Um, wasn’t he the one who filed for custody back in July? He wasn’t able to find a lawyer between July and now??? I wouldn’t be surprised if he couldn’t find anyone to take his case. So, the judge denied that and also asked him why he hadn’t responded to my lawyer’s discovery documents. My ex used the no-lawyer excuse again. Then the judge pretty much tore into him for not even having the courtesy of calling me or my lawyer to let us know that he was having a hard time answering the questions and finding a lawyer. The judge said that my lawyer probably would have given him more time if he had just asked for it. Then the judge went on to say that my ex wasted the court’s time, my lawyer’s time and my time – and we were the ones doing everything right. He was the one who filed for custody and he was the one who had the burden of proof for why he should have custody rather than us sharing custody. It was actually a bit of an uncomfortable situation seeing my ex getting berated like that, but the judge was right. See? There I was, angry at my ex for putting me and the kids through this custody drama, and I am still feeling sorry for him! But I was so glad that it was over. Yes, everyone assured me that nothing was going to happen, but it was a tremendous relief when I finally heard the judge say that the case was dismissed! I had been feeling uneasy ever since he filed the papers – and now it was over! I was so angry for all of these months and I just wanted to go back to feeling peaceful. I mean, this was a man who I was once married to and I had children with him. I never thought that he would do something like this. I felt betrayed. My kids are my life. I know he loves them, too, but I don’t think that he did this for anything other than selfish reasons. If he was really acting in the best interest of the kids, why didn’t he listen to them when they said MULTIPLE TIMES that they didn’t want to live with him? And what does it do to a kid when they feel that a parent doesn’t listen to them? Coy was feeling incredibly guilty about starting this whole thing, because it was just a comment made in anger. He never thought that his dad would take him seriously and file for custody. I mean, really, if Coy or True really wanted to live with their dad, I would let them. If I really felt that they would be better off with their dad, I would let them do what was right for them. This wasn’t about bitterness or anger on my end. When all is said and done, I want what is best for my kids. So for him to file for custody, knowing that it would tear all of us apart, I was really hurt. It’s really horrible that a person can do so much damage to another person with their actions. I might sound like a drama queen to some of you, but you would be surprised how much he put me through when we were married. He wasn’t abusive or anything like that, but a lot of harm can be done by simply being absent in a marriage. Sometimes I think I should write a book about all of the drama in my marriage, but I think that people might not believe it! I can laugh about it now, but the past few months reminded me of why I left my ex in the first place. Anyway…

I knew Coy and True were going to be relieved about the case being over, so after I left the court I went to the grocery store to buy a cake to celebrate! I also got some shrimp and clams so that we could have a nice little lunch. I asked True to think of something to write on the cake. All I could think of was “Home Sweet Home” or “Home is Where the Heart Is” but True said she thought of the perfect thing. She banished me from the kitchen until she was done. When she was ready to reveal her creation, I saw that she wrote on the cake, “You R Mine” Aww! She said that now that the trial was over, we didn’t have to worry. She and Coy were mine and I was theirs I think she summed it up perfectly!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Your trip plans look great. I am glad you were able to fit Sea World in. The two times we have made it to Universal we have been able finish up by 5:00, so you should be able get back for you ADR at Disney. The key as always is be at rope drop before the crowd arrives.

Your pictures of Disney on Ice were wonderful, thanks so much for posting them.

Thanks! I’m really happy about my plans, too and I think Coy will really be glad that we are going to Sea World. I’m glad you liked the Disney on Ice pictures. I still think they are pretty horrible but I really wanted to share the experience with you all

Watch out Erin, you are starting to take as many pictures as me! Before you know it, you'll be sucked in, buying the latest DSLR and have a camera attached to you at all times!

Looks like a blast! I wish we were closer to a city that did these things. I did notice that Disney on Ice was going to the same venue we went to for Taylor Swift last Tuesday, but it's an hour and a half drive and too long for me to be away from my petsitting usually to go into St. Louis!

I had so much fun with that app! I do really want a DSLR! I have been saying that for years, though One day, I’ll be able to get one and I will probably go nuts with taking pictures! Yeah, it took us an hour and a half to get there, too, because it was in Maryland. The only reason I took the kids to that one was because it was sort of close to my sisters’ place. We usually only go to shows in Virginia or DC. That’s too bad you don’t have a venue closer to you than St. Louis!

 

[Alysa]

Im so glad that drama is over for you. I can't believe your ex was so clueless as to think a judge would give custody to someone who had not been paying child support. And that cake is the perfect ending to that story. I just want to give True a hug - she is such a sweetheart! Hope now that all that is off your mind the three of you can have a great Easter together.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

OMG Erin!!!! Why didn't you talk to me about this?? THIS IS WHAT I DO, EVERY DAY!!!! I could have a least talked to you or listen to you. You bet your **** that it's because he owes child support now!! That is the number one reason I hear about the other parent wanting to have custody. I can tell you in Maine that to prove a material difference, his income would have had to change by over 15%. What an idiot!! I just can't believe he didn't even bother to make a case for himself. Wow.....Yay it's over and I love what True put on the cake. That is so perfect!!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Erin,

I know you wrote a real life update about your ex... but I'm going to go back to that because I don't want to mix awesome and annoying in the same reply...

I am very impressed with your Dis ice show pictures... but I was drinking coffee and luckily swallowed before I saw the picture of the kids in the audience when you ran up to get a photo of them... lol... their faces are priceless... Coy looks like he's trying really hard to pretend he doesn't know you (I've seen that look from Emily...) and True looks like she's trying to channel her powers of persuasion to get you to sit down... too awesome...

I love your expensive cotton candy... It has pixie dust in it... raises the price... too funny- I've been guilty of buying stuff like that and then not admitting how much it cost because it was special even if it was expensive... and heck yes... you should get whatever you want... snowcone...I'm sure those concession people have seen it all anyway...

The show itself looked wonderful... loved it all but especially Alice, Peter Pan, the Princesses -especially Tiana and Rapunzel... oh it all looked awesome... looks like you had a great time...

(Did you have to go into DC for the show?)

btw... your plans and ADRs look really good... Can you believe that there are people who wing Disney Vacations? (It's actually true... I've heard the stories...and they usually aren't good... they have no idea that you should do some planning... let alone how much planning Disers actually do...)

Ok... now I'm going back to read real life ex update...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Oh Erin...

I am so sorry that you've had to go through all of this...that's a lot of stress (having divorced parents... I know the stuff that goes on can really take its toll on a person- physically and emotionally... so I hope that you are taking care of yourself and getting what you need as well as the kids... you need to feel well too...)

I think it speaks well of your character that despite your split from your ex you amicably tried to do custody arrangements & even when he was behaving badly you still felt some compassion for him...

...Having said that... your primary concern is your kids and yourself... I'm glad this seems resolved and I hope you and the children can move forward peacefully...

Poor Coy... do you know how many things 13 year olds say that they don't really mean when their upset? How awful for him...

True... Bless her... she has such a sweet heart...

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Erin, you are just so awesome. You are the best Mom and I'm sorry you had to go through this, but so glad it's over! I LOVE the cake!

 

[OregonMomToWDW]

What a huge relief to have the custody issue behind you. The summer before Marissa was a Freshman, we had to redo the custody stuff. We had joint with the ex seeing them every other weekend. Lets just say, after the police were involved, Marissa didn't want to see him ever. She was scared to go over there. I got a good lawyer. The ex was served and he just brushed it aside or something. He defaulted. Never answered the summons. So, by default, I got full legal custody of both. Jacob still sees him for one or two weekends each month. Marissa goes to dinner maybe once or twice a month. She still doesn't spend the night there. Maybe once since this happened. I let the kids decide how much time they wanted and since he defaulted, that is what was ordered. Instead of the 6 weeks during summer, he now just gets 2 weeks with Jacob. My ex actually wants his pay garnished. It is the only way he will pay. When he moved from Texas to Oregon, he made me set it up, so I pay $50/year to have the state garnish it. I was married for 6 short years and I just wish young people would realize that the decisions they make will determine their future. We have been divorced for 11 years and he still can be a jerk to me and it does affect the kids.

I am glad that you can breathe easier now and I loved the cake.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Oh, wow, what a tremendous amount of support! Thanks, you guys! I was nervous about writing about this before, but not because of you all – I should have known that you all would be just as awesome as ever – but I was worried before the trial that if my ex did have a lawyer, they might find this PTR and try to use something against me. Well, I guess I should have known that he wouldn’t have a lawyer But thank you all for the support!

Im so glad that drama is over for you. I can't believe your ex was so clueless as to think a judge would give custody to someone who had not been paying child support. And that cake is the perfect ending to that story. I just want to give True a hug - she is such a sweetheart! Hope now that all that is off your mind the three of you can have a great Easter together.

Thanks, Alysa! I am glad it is over, too! Yeah, my ex must be a special kind of idiot to think that he was going to get custody considering he has always had problems with paying child support. And believe me, if the case actually was tried, my lawyer was all over the child support issue! It is a relief that this is finally over! The kids have to go to their dad’s for Easter, but I think the Easter Bunny is going to make a special stop for them at home Wasn’t True’s cake wonderful?

OMG Erin!!!! Why didn't you talk to me about this?? THIS IS WHAT I DO, EVERY DAY!!!! I could have a least talked to you or listen to you. You bet your **** that it's because he owes child support now!! That is the number one reason I hear about the other parent wanting to have custody. I can tell you in Maine that to prove a material difference, his income would have had to change by over 15%. What an idiot!! I just can't believe he didn't even bother to make a case for himself. Wow.....Yay it's over and I love what True put on the cake. That is so perfect!!!

I know, Ann! I wanted to talk to you, and I debated emailing you a few times. I’ve been trying to keep it together emotionally since July, so I wanted to keep my drama out of my DIS life. Looking back, I could have used a person to whine to, though You know, he actually blames me for being so deep in debt with his child support? Back when we went to court for the child support issue last year, he thought that I should have told the judge that he was current. Um…no. I wasn’t going to take food out of my babies’ mouths to help him out by lying! So filing for custody was not only a way out of paying child support, but I also feel he did it as a way to hurt me. What a loser! I was shocked that he didn’t even try to make his case, but my lawyer said that she wasn’t surprised at all. She has seen people do things like this with no follow through, and since he didn’t even answer the discovery documents she knew he was probably going to be unprepared for court. I’m so happy that this is over now and I can move on without this worry on my shoulders True’s cake was the best!

Hey Erin,

I know you wrote a real life update about your ex... but I'm going to go back to that because I don't want to mix awesome and annoying in the same reply...

I am very impressed with your Dis ice show pictures... but I was drinking coffee and luckily swallowed before I saw the picture of the kids in the audience when you ran up to get a photo of them... lol... their faces are priceless... Coy looks like he's trying really hard to pretend he doesn't know you (I've seen that look from Emily...) and True looks like she's trying to channel her powers of persuasion to get you to sit down... too awesome...

I love your expensive cotton candy... It has pixie dust in it... raises the price... too funny- I've been guilty of buying stuff like that and then not admitting how much it cost because it was special even if it was expensive... and heck yes... you should get whatever you want... snowcone...I'm sure those concession people have seen it all anyway...

The show itself looked wonderful... loved it all but especially Alice, Peter Pan, the Princesses -especially Tiana and Rapunzel... oh it all looked awesome... looks like you had a great time...

(Did you have to go into DC for the show?)

btw... your plans and ADRs look really good... Can you believe that there are people who wing Disney Vacations? (It's actually true... I've heard the stories...and they usually aren't good... they have no idea that you should do some planning... let alone how much planning Disers actually do...)

Ok... now I'm going back to read real life ex update...

That is so funny that you don’t want to mix the good with the bad! Sounds like something I would say! Weren’t the kids hilarious in that picture? Coy looks like he is trying to sink into his jacket and True was probably yelling at me to stop taking pictures! The cotton candy has pixie dust in it? Now it makes perfect sense that it cost so much! The show was amazing! The costumes were gorgeous and the sets were really cool. My pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice! For this show, we went to Baltimore – so that was an hour and a half trip for us. Usually, we’ll go to the arenas in VA, and we will occasionally go as far as DC, but this was the first time we went to MD for a show. If my sisters didn’t live in MD, we wouldn’t have gone that far.

I really like my ADRs now, too. I have always wanted to go to WDW on a whim – no plans, no ADRs, nothing – but I love planning too much to do that! For me, planning a vacation is second only to actually going on vacation!