Dorky Disboutiquing DiserSistas:Destination DisneyTeresajoys(true)version:TheEnd 1/23

[teresajoy]

Looks like they've moved me over to the completed TR section! If you read the TR, I would love it if you sent me a PM to let me know!!

Seperately we are HeatherSue and TeresaJoy. Together, we are the Diser Sistas! We will be presenting you with a joint trip report, in two threads. Here's a link to HeatherSue's version:http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1831386

It was decided, my ENTIRE family was going to go to Florida together!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Cast of Characters (And for now, I'm stealing some pictures from Heather's TR, because the ones I want to use are on my other computer, and Ldyia is playing on Disney.com. If I ask her to get off, there will be LOTS of whining! And, we don't want that, right?)
Me,

Teresa, you wouldn't know it from the amount of posts I have on the Disboutique thread, but I am actually pretty shy and quiet! Although, I can be VERY opinionated! Sometimes I suprise myself by talking to strangers. Started going to Disney World the year it opened, I was two, you do the math! This was my 32nd trip. Here is a picture from me and David's second trip to Disney. We figure my Dad accidentally included us in a picture of the castle:

I am a Jehovah's Witness as are my parents and brother. We do not celebrate holidays or birthdays. However, I married a Catholic......
I ran out of images, so picture that smiley with it's hair sticking up here-----> <------

The story of our courtship could fill a book! Or, if you ask Miss Cammie about 5 emails!! Brian DOES celebrate holidays and birthdays with our children. So, you will see some birthday celebrating in this trip report. I was there, but not celebrating. Just thought I better add that to avoid too much confusion!

Brian,

Husband, LOVES to fish, LOVES his family, not fond of being around lots of people. Poor guy. He grew up in a family of 11 children, I don't know how he survived! Best husband and Dad ever! He does most of the cooking for us. Takes good care of me. Acts like I make him go to Disney evey year, but he really loes it! First trip to Disney was in 1987, he went with me and my family. He was OLD for a first trip! 26! And, this is what Brian looked like on his first trip:

(isn't he cute!)

Corey-

our son, Loves to take pictures, Loves his little sisters, but still likes to pick on them A LOT, a WHOLE LOT! Rather shy. BEST son in the world. Somehow we haven't hit the terrible teenage years yet, even though he will be 16 next month. First trip to Disney was at 3, almost 4. I still apologize to him for waiting SOOO long to take him! Sorry Corey!

Arminda

-(named after her Great-Great Grandmother)Talkative, a real girly-girl, loves boys, rather outgoing. Once talked the ENTIRE 19 hour drive home from Florida. REALLY the ENTIRE drive! Often feels the world is against her, and wears her heart on her sleeve. Sadly, she was born without a sense of humor, but we are trying to help her develop one! She's getting better, although sometimes Lydia has to explain jokes to her! LOL First trip to Disney was when I was 7 months pregnant. Second trip she was just turning one. She started walking on that trip! She turned 10 on this trip.

Lydia-

Mommy's little sunshine baby, noisy, yet shy, a real stinker, but a sweet heart. Typical youngest child. Hard to pigeon hole this one! A true red head! First trip to Disney, I was two months pregnant. Second trip, she turned five months old. She's five now, and will start all day every single stinkin day Kindergarten this fall .



Mom-My Mom,

The BEST MOM EVER! Really, she is. Likes to plan these trips more than I do. A bit of a "comando" when it comes to Disney. LOVES her grandkids! Has a heart of gold and the patience of Job. Also opinionated (hmm, wonder where I get it?) My Grandma lives with Mom in a little apartment off the kitchen, so she works very hard. Mom started going to Florida in the winters when she was in second grade, with her family. After graduating high school, she became a full time Michigander again though!

Dad

-Pretty much does what Mom says, eventually. Loves to collect things. Currently, old bikes (which are filling up his basement!) and "quack" machines. Built the house they live in. Asks lots of questions, lots of questions....


David

-Older brother, a bit of a Peter Pan. He hasn't grown up yet, and I doubt he ever will. Loves to play video games. Loves his kids and is a great Dad and husband. Knows lots of things about lots of DIFFERENT kinds of things. We were very close growing up, and are getting closer again now. We are two and a half years apart. He is a wonderful brother. I remember the kids at school were always amazed that we actually liked each other! Once, while I was playing softball in 6th grade (not by choice, for gym class) the kids said, "Hit the ball like it's your brother!" To which another kid said, "Don't tell her THAT! She LIKES her brother!" LOL He can talk, a LOT! He once described a two hour movie to me for 5 (at least) hours! And, I sat there and listened. Aren't I nice! (or maybe I'm just crazy!)

Barbara-

Sister in law, puts up with my brother! Quiet, loves country music and celebrity gossip. A real sweetheart. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and we were worried she would have to have surgery right away and not be able to go with us. Thankfully, the doctors agreed that it would be ok for her to wait until we got back.

Courtney-

13(turned 14 the last day of our trip
) year old neice. A really special little girl. Loves to play video games like her Daddy, also loves Chuck E Cheese. A bit behind for 13 (almost 14), but a true joy to be around. Very considerate, and loves helping out with the little kids. First trip to Disney she was at 2, our first big family trip!

Casey-

10 year old neice. Arminda's best friend. Silly, doesn't always think things through before acting, loves animals, but the feeling is not mutual. A bit of a tomboy. A pretty silly and sweet kid. First trip to Disney was at 3, our second big family trip!


Heather-

My little sister, my best friend. ALSO opinionated. (hmm, I see a theme running here). Has been known to call me JUST to tell me she loved me. First trip to Disney was the month she got colicky. She cried A LOT! I still loved her though! I remember my Grandma rocking her and rocking her, and letting her suck on peppermint candy to make her tummy feel better.
Here's a picture of Heather's first trip, with our Grandma holding her, all together now, "AWWWWWW":

Henry

-Brother in law, Doesn't talk much. Not real crazy about lots of people either. Doesn't like Disney World! A hard worker and a great Dad. Has built several houses, including the house they currently live in. Can be very funny.

Tessa-

Beautiful, funny, strong headed (a bit like her Mommy!) Lydia's best friend. Can be very emotional. Loves animals. Exactly three months younger than Lydia. First trip to Disney, she was 14 months, our third big family trip!

Sawyer-

THE baby of the family. Loves attention, and gets it from us all. Loves to make us laugh, and has a smile that could melt your heart. I was in the delivery room when he was born, and I got to cut the cord. This is his first trip to Disney, our fourth big family trip! Gets very excited when he sees Arminda!



We go on these trips every three to four years. It's always a lot of fun. Even if we get on each others nerves once in awhile, we get over it. It's a wonderful way to strengthen the family bond. When we were growing up, we went to Florida every year. My grandparents lived down there in Holiday, Florida. We usually went to Disney for one day while we were visiting.



This year we are renting two houses to stay in, right across the street from each other. When Brian and I went down in May for our annual trip, I drove by the houses just to check them out and was shocked to see this sign:

Links to TR chapters:
Part 2, House Troubles (post #7)
Part 3, In Which We Get To The Airport (Post #17)
Part 4: In which we make a narrow escape! (post #43)
Part 5:Brian and I have a "misunderstanding"(post#73)
Part 6: In which Heather becomes lost! (post #104)
Part 7:In which we encounter Fairy Godmothers in Training, In Trainining! Post #137
Part 8: More Grumpiness??? Post #178
Part 9: A Parting of the Ways Post 206
Part 10: WICKEDNESS!!!!! Post#248
Part 10(B)A Little Bitty Update
Part 11 It's Epcot Day!Post#290
Part 12: WOW You Can Do a LOT in Half a Day!Post #326
Part13: In Which we eat with a giant Mouse and Arminda gets a powerful button.Post#360

Part 14: STEPH!!!! You Really ARE REAL!!!!! or, The Day We Meet Arminda's Future Husband...Post #392
Part 15: It's a Two Diser Day!Post #429
Part 16: In Which Casey Does Not Get Better, We Get Kicked Out of Our House, We "Tour" the DVC, Meet Cindee, Shel, Morgan and JORD YEAH!!! and Brian FINALLY get to go Fishing! post #467
Part 17:In Which Not Much Happens Post #495
Part 18:Moon Over Epcot and What Kind of Monkee is THAT?! (With Videos!) Post #519
Part 19: Dinner With Mom post 569
Part 20: In Which Brian and Corey Go Fishing in Alligator Infested Waters In a Canoe With a Rocket Scientist And I Do Not post 593 (a update with a longer title than the actual update)
Part: 21 Lydia's Happy Place (this link should take you right there.
Part: 22 A Little Pixe Dust a Little Pouting! Post 651
Part: 23 The End Post 669

Foster feels that he was left out, so he wrote his own Trip Report: Foster's Verion

 

[jham]

Yay! First again! now I'll go read it.

 

[disneylovinfamily]

I'm #2 and I read it! Can't wait to read more. I love the sistas! SOrry to hear about DSIL, I hope that she will be ok.

 

[camelotcats]

YAY!! TR!!

Uh...is that house that's for sale one of the ones you are planning on renting???

MORE MORE MORE!!

 

[t-beri]

And Theresa goes straight for the anticipation factor.... How very like you!

 

[jessica52877]

Checking in!

 

[teresajoy]

Yeah, the house we had already paid a deposit on was FOR SALE!!! So, I called the number and acted like I was going to buy it. I asked, "Is this a rental house?" Nope, is not and never has been a rental house. (HUH????) So, I emailed the owner, and he confirmed that yes, they had thought of selling the house, but had changed their minds. They were just waiting for the contract with the realtor to run out. A few months later, I got an email from the owner letting me know that he had sold the house, and I should expect an email from the new owner. After a stressful week, I did contact the new owners, and everything was in order. That is when I decided to tell my parents and my brother a "funny story" about the house we were renting! I mean, why worry them needlessly?? right??? I was being kind, really. That, and I didn't want to answer an endless stream of questions from my father.



Glad you agree!





Finally, it was time to go!!!! I had been sewing frantically for the last week, finishing up all the custom outfits for the girls. I had booked Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for all five girls, and needed to make Arminda a "real" Cinderella dress (meaning silver and NOT blue), Casey a Jasmine and Courtney a Snow White, plus five ice cream outfits for all the girls, a Jasmine outfit for Arminda and several park outfits for Lyddy. (My Disboutiquer friends will understand!) It was going well up until the day before we left, when I developed a bad (not awful, but heading in that direction fast) backache. So, there were a few outfits I had wanted to make that I didn't finish, but nothing major.



By the time we left on Friday, my back was feeling pretty good, but I did use it as an excuse not to have to lift any suitcases and carry them to the car! So, Brian and Corey loaded up the van, and we were off to Detroit to spend the night at a Fairfield and catch the plane to Disney in the morning. We use to drive to Florida, an enjoyable (really!) 19 hour drive. But, last year, the week before we left, our van broke down, and our favorite (cheap) mechanic couldn't get it in before we left. So, we flew as a family for the first time!!! We got cheap airfares, so it wasn't much more than driving would have been. And, we are still amazed that the trip TO the airport is longer than the actual flight to Florida! Of course, we are amazed easily!



We checked into the hotel to find that it had been taken over by several Pee Wee hockey teams. The kids were playing hockey in the hallways while the "adults" drank beer in the lounge. Nice. Thankfully, they were on the first floor, and we were on the third, so we didn't hear them at all, and once we broke up their game so we could enter the building, they didn't bother us at all. They seemed to be good kids, they just weren't being supervised, AT ALL!



I think we were all awake before the alarm went off. Who can sleep when you are getting ready to go to Disney! in the morning!!! All was going well, until we had a very very talkative attendant at the breakfast bar. She chatted and chatted and chatted....... I wouldn't be surprised if we got an invitation to her youngest daughter, Maria Louise's wedding next month! She all but sat at the table with us! Which would normally be fine, but come on, we had a plane to catch to DISNEY!!!! (Seriously, who can say Disney!!! without thinking exclamation points??) So, at 8:38 AM, we hightailed it out of the hotel and over to the parking lot next door to leave our car and catch a shuttle to the airport. The plane was taking off at 10:00, so I was a little bit in panic mode that we were not going to make it! Me in panic mode is really not a good thing, so I might have snapped at everyone to "MOVE YOUR BUTT!" The memory is fuzzy though.....

 

[tadamom]

Lovin' it so far -- can't wait to read the rest and see some pics!

 

[daisylou]

Great! I'm reading both trip reports together and enjoying both. Can't wait to see the fabulous customs!

 

[The Moonk's Mom]

I'm here too. ..


I have to say I would have handled the house thing the same way...we always wait to tell the family any startling news after the fact, because the question can drive you insane when all you can say is "I don't know yet!"

 

[candicenicole19]

Cant wait to read more and see the outfits in action so i hope there are lots of pictures!

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

Can't wait to read more and see more pictures...

 

[PrincessLeighsDaddy]

Great start!

It will be fun to see both "Sista's" version of their vacation!

 

[Rebecuberduber]

This is great! Mind if I read along?

 

[yoplit]

oh i love it!! LOVE your style of writing, some just more interesting than others (sorry "others"). so i'm definatly Subscribing!

 

[revrob]

subscribing!

 

[teresajoy]

We parked the car and had a pleasant shuttle driver who chatted with the kids all the way to the airport. We got to the airport, checked in the luggage, went through security, and then made it to our gate. I looked at my watch, and it was 9:00! That was FAST!!! So, this is when I left my panic mode behind, put on my tiara, and started my trip.

And, if you are wondering, yes, I really did put on my tiara!!! See:

In case you were wondering, I'm the one on the left.

And, here are a few more, from the Detroit Airport! (you're right, Detoit Airport, really doesn't deserve an exclamation point). We were very excited to see so many characters had come to see us off!

Arminda with Ariel:

Corey with Micky Ears:

Lydia and Tink:

Me, Brian and Stitch:

Me smoochin' Mickey:

Brian and Minnie:

And, this guy said MissCammie had sent him:

(and, yes, my husband is ACTUALLY giving me bunny ears in this picture!)
Then, the plane pulled up, and look who our pilot was!

We had checked in online the day before, so we were in the first few groups to board, which is good when you are hauling a big old car seat! Brian went ahead with the kids to get our seat, and I lugged the seat down the aisle. I tried to be very very careful, but I still accidentally bumped a very friendly (thank goodness!) pregnant lady. I apologized profusely, and made my way to our seats. WHY they don't let people with carseats on the plane first is beyond me! I really don't care WHERE I sit on the plane, but I don't like hitting poor helpless people in the head! Plus, it takes a lot longer to hook in a carseat than it does to just buckle up! It ended up that I sat between Corey and Lydia and Brian sat across the aisle with Arminda. That worked out well. Lydia and Arminda are good travelers and keep themselves entertained with Polly Pockets and books. Corey had his Ipod, so he was good to go. We had a bumpy, but not frightening flight (I think this is why I was not scared:

(Yeah Buzz!) to Baltimore, where we stopped briefly (about 20 minutes) to let people on and off. Then we were off to Disney!!!! Woo Hoo!!! We actually arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, which was nice!

Ok, I better tell you the truth, in case someone gets all excited about Disney characters being at the Detroit Airport

The pictures were taken by Arminda with her new Disney camera. I gave it to her at the gate. I handed it to her and asked if she could take a few pictures of us while we waited. She was confused for a second, but then got very excited to have her VERY OWN CAMERA!!! Corey being the photographer that he is was very excited about it too, even though he allready knew I bought it, actually he's the one that talked me into getting it for her! She loved the "Magic" setting. It allowed her to put characters into the pictures. And, being the Disney nut that I am, I thought that was extremely cool myself!! Lydia is now asking for HER own camera!

Next up: Picking out a new car and driving to the house! (post #43)
OOOH, the excitement continues!!!!

 

[t-beri]

First, I MUST get one of those cameras, how fun! and B) You've got to appreciate a place where you can admit that full grown adults did NOT rest the night before they left for Disney!!! besides, I'm glad it's not just me who has the freak gene.

 

[Cherlynn25]

Love it so far! Cant wait for more. What a cool camera!!! =)

 

[twob4him]

Oh goodness...two installments already and I am just checking in! Love the camera idea for Arminda! Did she put the characters in as she was taking the pics or after? She's a regular photopass photographer! Glad you got to the airport on time! Can't wait for more!