Does Pixie Dust Help with Decision-Making? A 2012 PTR! NEW! 6/30 pg.85

[disneyfan61]

Oh my gosh Jackie. What a day you had!

I was thinking the same as Heidi in that UNH seems to be around the same size. We are lucky enough to be close to UNH so Ryan commuted & we did not need to drive there too often.

It sounds like something that would happen to us. We can get lost very easily.

Too funny with Connor & his fake lottery tickets.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday!!

 

[Poolrat]

Holy Cow- I have had trips like that. You would think something simple but it takes a wrong turn.


Makes you want to get back in bed and start over.



Glad you survived.


HOPPY EASTER.

 

[Native NYer]

Your family adventures crack me up, Jackie.
UGA is ENORMOUS! Beautiful campus.
Is your next adventure to Georgia Tech?

 

[MegansMom]

I am so sorry your day trip did not turn out well for you, but that story had me laughing out loud!!! You all could be a hit reality show!!!! BUT, the idea of already thinking of a COLLEGE for "sweet, little Chelsea" has ME all sentimental!!! How in the world is that girl growing up so stinking fast!?!?!? Makes me realize how long we have "known" each other here! Wow how time goes fast!

 

[MEK]

I read about your day through your FB link and all I could do was laugh because it sounds like the kind of day I would have going to see a college campus. You get all the way there and then Chelsea doesn't want to get out of the car.

Then the street parking from hell

Glad you can look back on it and find it humorous. Who knows, maybe she will change her mind and want to go to a smaller school. You never know!

 

[MHTeacher]

Enjoyed laughing along at the descriptions of your day! Believe me, the only reason I can laugh is because I've been there, done that, had those same days with my kids!

We've had 'Bama season tickets for over ten years, so Elizabeth has grown up being on campus in Tuscaloosa, but I'm sure she'll still be wondering around lost when she gets on campus in the fall. Maybe she can walk around holding her GPS..... ;0

 

[vamassey1]

Loved the recounting of your trip to UGA.

It is a beautiful campus. Danielle would have wanted a full outfit too. We've been in the bookstore at LSU a few times and she has pitched fits for the LSU Nike shorts a few times. I'm sure Chelsea will do just fine on campus in a few years. And she has to wear her outfit in Disney, everyone shows their colors when they are there.

We spent Easter Sunday afternoon walking around downtown Austin, Texas. We never made it to the UT campus but Dennis really wanted to see it. We like seeing other school's campuses. In October when we went to Fayetteville, Arkansas we looked around their campus. Best workout ever, lots of up and down walking.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh I have my ideas about her first trip. I'm really hoping it's next January but I'm not sure what is going to happen. It depends on a lot of different factors.

January would be a great time -- I hope that it comes to fruition!

I really can't believe how fast she is growing up, Connor too! I was thinking about it and I've been on the DIS for 4 years now and you were one of the first TRs I read so she was 10! How did that happen? These last 4 years FLEW by!

Yes, the last four years have flown by! I remember when you and Marc were planning your wedding, and now, you have Violet!!!

Oh my gosh Jackie. What a day you had!

I was thinking the same as Heidi in that UNH seems to be around the same size. We are lucky enough to be close to UNH so Ryan commuted & we did not need to drive there too often.

It sounds like something that would happen to us. We can get lost very easily.

I am usually good with directions, but UGA just defeated me.

Too funny with Connor & his fake lottery tickets.

He loves real ones, but I just couldn't see the point of fake ones. Connor disagreed with me. LOL!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday!!

We did! I hope you did, too.

Holy Cow- I have had trips like that. You would think something simple but it takes a wrong turn.


Makes you want to get back in bed and start over.



Glad you survived.


HOPPY EASTER.

I very much wanted to crawl back in bed and start over. LOL!

Your family adventures crack me up, Jackie.
UGA is ENORMOUS! Beautiful campus.
Is your next adventure to Georgia Tech?

Our adventures are always good for a laugh.

We will not be headed to Georgia Tech for a few years.

I am so sorry your day trip did not turn out well for you, but that story had me laughing out loud!!! You all could be a hit reality show!!!! BUT, the idea of already thinking of a COLLEGE for "sweet, little Chelsea" has ME all sentimental!!! How in the world is that girl growing up so stinking fast!?!?!? Makes me realize how long we have "known" each other here! Wow how time goes fast!

Chelsea has said the same thing about being a reality show! LOL! It would be something.

She is growing up too fast. When I first joined the DIS, she hadn't even started middle school yet, and now, she is three years away from college. Yikes!

I read about your day through your FB link and all I could do was laugh because it sounds like the kind of day I would have going to see a college campus. You get all the way there and then Chelsea doesn't want to get out of the car.

I could not BELIEVE Chelsea did that to us. It was definitely unexpected. LOL!

Then the street parking from hell

My eye was twitching by the end of it. LOL!

Glad you can look back on it and find it humorous. Who knows, maybe she will change her mind and want to go to a smaller school. You never know!

Laughing at all of it was the only way I could keep from melting down completely.

Enjoyed laughing along at the descriptions of your day! Believe me, the only reason I can laugh is because I've been there, done that, had those same days with my kids!

That's why I figured I wouldn't sugarcoat it -- we have all had trips like that, and it helps to just laugh about it with others.

We've had 'Bama season tickets for over ten years, so Elizabeth has grown up being on campus in Tuscaloosa, but I'm sure she'll still be wondering around lost when she gets on campus in the fall. Maybe she can walk around holding her GPS..... ;0

I can't believe Elizabeth is starting college in the fall! Why are our girls growing up so quickly???

Loved the recounting of your trip to UGA.

It is a beautiful campus. Danielle would have wanted a full outfit too. We've been in the bookstore at LSU a few times and she has pitched fits for the LSU Nike shorts a few times. I'm sure Chelsea will do just fine on campus in a few years. And she has to wear her outfit in Disney, everyone shows their colors when they are there.

Chelsea has been lucky because my father-in-law's stepdaughter works for the Nike corporate office, and he gets a family discount. Chelsea has a whole wardrobe of those Nike shorts as a result. When I saw the actual price tag of $32, I about fell over, but she picked out a t-shirt on sale, so I figured we would splurge.

We spent Easter Sunday afternoon walking around downtown Austin, Texas. We never made it to the UT campus but Dennis really wanted to see it. We like seeing other school's campuses. In October when we went to Fayetteville, Arkansas we looked around their campus. Best workout ever, lots of up and down walking.

My mom went to the University of Arkansas (she grew up in Rogers, Arkansas which is right down the road from Fayetteville), and I remember visiting the campus with her one time. It is such a pretty little town.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Well, it happened this weekend. You know, that moment when I start questioning, “What am I thinking?”

Saturday morning I made the mistake of looking at crowd calendars and posts about the crowds during the Fourth of July, and I started panicking. What was I thinking scheduling a trip during one of the busiest and hottest weeks of the year?

I was seriously reconsidering the trip, but there were a lot of reasons we shouldn’t cancel.

1. The discount Disney had sent me for our hotel room was so good that changing our dates really didn’t make sense.

2. There really isn’t any other time to go this year between school and my classes.

3. I can’t, and I really mean I just can’t, break Connor’s heart and cancel Disney a second year in a row.

4. I want to hang out with everyone who is going to be there at the same time. The stars (and travel schedules) are perfectly aligned for some serious Disney fun with friends.

Thankfully, I knew just who to go to on Facebook to talk me down from the ledge, and I was right. Thank you to those who made me see that this trip will be a lot of fun despite the crowds and heat! Plus, some interesting plans have emerged for a round of mini-golf. LOL!

Moving on with the Disney planning, I now have a question to pose…should we go with the Quick-Service Dining Plan? It is only $700 for the six days we are there, and I like the idea of the majority of our food being paid for…we are planning on doing mostly counter service meals anyway, and the only table service meal that is a must for us is our big group dinner at Ohana’s on the fifth. What does everyone think? To Quick-Service Dining Plan or not??? I am torn.

In life updates, I hope everyone had a great Easter.

Charles woke up the kids with a CRAZY story Easter morning that went something like this, “So, I was sitting there when all of a sudden I saw a flash of tail out of the corner of my eye and thought ‘What the heck?’ Then, the Easter Bunny chucked the baskets on the table, glared at me with his beady eyes, and hopped away.” The kids thought it was so funny and told everyone they talked to about it.

Here’s what the Easter Bunny “chucked” on that table.

It’s hard to see in the picture but the plush Darth Vader is wearing bunny ears. LOL!

We had Charles’ entire family over for Easter dinner and had a great time with them including making plans for Thanksgiving.

Last Thanksgiving, we had talked/joked about how we should go to the beach for the next Thanksgiving. Well, since then, my SIL and I have talked more about it, and we decided we should really do it. On Easter we found the perfect house on Tybee and booked it. It is literally four houses away from the beach. We are so excited we can barely stand it.

Here’s a picture of it.

Here’s what made us both squeal and say, “That’s it! That’s the house for us!”

Can. Not. Wait.

Tuesday, Chelsea, after almost three years, got her braces off.

Last morning with braces.

And arriving home without them!

Today she has a scoliosis appointment (hence my ability to be able to update on a Monday) -- fingers crossed that it hasn’t gotten any worse since December.

 

[teekathepony]

I'm sure you guys will have a blast despite the crowds! Just keep cool and relax
As for meal plans... I've always upgraded from the quick service to the normal dining plan because I find there's not a lot of options in quick service for me. Even on the normal DP with one quick service per day, I get really sick of chicken strips! Also I really love taking time out of my busy day to go into an air conditioned restaurant, sit at a table, be served my food, relax and chat. But that's just me. If you guys were already planning on eating at QS most of the time, then perhaps it is right for you! Especially if you only have the one TS planned. As for meal plans in general, I do like having my meals paid for.
Chelsea's teeth look fantastic! She must feel so good to have them off. Hope her appointment goes well.

 

[MEK]

I am so glad you were talked down off the ledge. I will admit, as my June trip approaches I keep having flashbacks about June 09 (remember that week - I know you DO) and the scorching temps! At least I know it can't get any worse this year. At least I think it can't.

Funny you should ask about the CS plan. I was looking at it myself because I thought it might make it easier for my brother's family since we are doing all CS with the exception of a CRT breakfast and a LeCellier date lunch for my bro/SIL.

I like the idea of everything being prepaid with that large of a group. I crunched some numbers and I don't really think it is a cost savings. I figured it out with including the most expensive CS places (like the Sunshine Seasons, Wolfgang pucs, & the Pepper Market). Eating the more expensive items, dessert at every meal, and including those three restaurants did result in breaking even of a savings of maybe $4 or $5 per person. Still - its a convenient option and I am going to let my SIL decide.

Congrats to Chelsea for getting her braces off.

I can't see pics and I'm sure you posted one.

Tybee at Thanksgiving sounds so wonderful. What a great idea!

 

[sunny_stace]

I have been to Disney in June, July and August and the only memory I have of bad crowds was waiting almost 3 hours in line for Splash Mountain when it was a brand new attraction. But we found out that there had also been techincal problems causing the line to stall. I expect you guys would have a blast even if there were a million people in the parks! You know what to do to avoid crowds and you know your way around! I'm sure things will work out perfectly! Like you said, your stars are aligned!

I also cannot wait to hear more stories from Tybee Island! That house looks amazing! Gorgeous! As does Chelsea without her braces! I bet she's enjoying that freedom!

 

[nowellsl]

You're just covering all my old stomping grounds. I was born and lived in Savannah until I was about 10 (when we moved to Athens). We spent a lot of time on Tybee Island. My parents actually bought some land there, back when there wasn't much there. The plan was to retire there, but they ended up staying in FL. It's a beautiful area!

I used to really love the dining plan when it first came out, not so much now. We do have it for the next couple of trips, just because it is so much more convenient. I actually liked the counter service plan - there are lots of places you can maximize the value, like the Pepper Market at CSR!

I think you'll have a blast in July - you'll have lots of DIS July experts that can help you deal with the crowds and heat We usually rent a condo at the beach for that week, or I might try it myself one of these years! I'd love to see the fireworks on the 4th.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I read your UGA post and I cracked up. Oh little Chelsea....that's exactly what people do at colleges! Walk around and visit. Teenagers and their desire to not be embarrassed....my Dad made it his mission to embarrass us constantly, so it was kind of hard to avoid...

I say go with the QSDP. We did it in July and did three OOP meals and we were too happy that we did. Because it was so hot, we loved the fact that we didn't feel so full all the time. Plus, with the heat and crowds, we liked not being set to a schedule.

 

[Native NYer]

You're going to have an amazing 4th at Disney!
Charles' Easter bunny story is hilarious.
Love the Tybee house. So adorable!
Chelsea looks beautiful! She must be so happy to have the braces off. Hope her appointment today went well.

 

[disneyfan61]

Jackie you will have an awesome time in July!! You are used to the heat more than this NH girl here. It will be so much fun meeting up with Anita & everyone else. I am very jealous but at the same time I cannot handle the heat. I cannot go down there after the end of May. Even that is pushing it. I was getting nervous as they were predicting 90's next week but luckily it has changed to low to mid 80's. It was warmer here in NH today than it was in Orlando. We reached 88 here today.

Chelsea looks great with her nice straight teeth!! It must be a great feeling to get those braces off. I know Cody was really excited & what a difference!!

Oh my gosh what a HUGE porch that beach house has!! I can see why you are so excited. I would be too. You will have a great time there also.

 

[creativeamanda]

You will enjoy being in Disney July 4th week! It is fun, the hours there are awesome, and Disney seems to be at the height of open. We've been there around the same time before, and we were glad we did it.

 

[MeMom]

You just have to go in knowing you will need plenty of down time and some cool treats along the way, and neither of those is a bad thing.

About that golf game - when is it, and do you need photographic evidence of what happens? Or maybe you guys absolutely do NOT want photographic evidence.

Chelsea looks beautiful, of course! I hope she got good news from the doctor.

The Thanksgiving house - wow! I would be excited, too! Love that sun porch!!!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

WOW, How beautiful Chelsea is with the braces removed! I know she she is so relieved to have those things off! My one son was so happy to finally have his gone.

Love that beach house! That is going to be a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Too much to say!!!

Love the Thanksgiving plans!!! Great house and an awesome porch!

Chelsea looks terrific!!!

I missed the panic about July... early morning touring and the fact that you don't have to do it all will make the trip still enjoyable!

I didn't read what others said about the counter service, but here's my thinking... the reduction of a snack makes it less of a value. I don't suggest it, though, because I think you will have extra credits left and you won't want every dessert. (Well, you think you will, but it is HOT!) We share meals and had to work at using the credits. You would be paying for four adults and I just don't think it's worth it. $140 a day...

Earl of Sandwich would cost you around $50 for sandwich, drink and dessert for each for four... It looks like Studio Catering would cost about $65 for the same (four entrees, four desserts and four drinks). Add $16 for snacks...you're still at $132...

I think you'd be better off buying a gift card to use for food if you want to pay ahead.