First PTR/TR - Alone Again, Happily (pg 2)

[DMGeurts]

Love the update!! And I love your writing style - makes me chuckle... The Bag of Holding - ROFL!!! Gotta love that! I have several Bags of Holding in my house...

Rut-roh... I dislike dead umbrellas...

D~

 

[sewmess]

Thanks for the comment. Glad my style gets chuckles.

I can't stay serious for very long. It just seems a waste of energy.

 

[sewmess]

Second Day of Travel: September 21

We got up early for vacation (8ish) and the only person left in the house was SIL. We putzed around for a while; breakfasting, showering, repacking. About the time DH was gearing up to hit the road, I remembered that I needed to charge my cell and he discovered that I had not had any coffee. So, we plugged the phone in (no car charger) started my daily caffeine with a half a cup of coffee and finally hit the road, 8:30/9:00 central time.

We’ve made the drive to Orlando from Greenville the current way for four years now, so all we really need the map book for is to verify that I have transposed any numbers. We take AL 10 to Luverne where we pick up 321 to Florala (not 231 to Dothan, which is a pain in the patootee to navigate. Just past Florala (as the name indicates) is Florida and then about 10 miles to De Funiak Springs, where we hit I10.

I10 is boring, by the way, so I’ll skip most of this, hitting only the Steak-n-Shake just before Tallahassee and just after Tallahassee before jumping over to I75. The Steak-n-Shake is important because the only time we are able to imbibe in the steaky/shakey goodness is when we’re away from home. The Birmingham Metropolitan area does not have the Steak-n-Shake. (shock) We prefer our greasy goodness be home-grown. Ask me about Green Acres sometime.

Just after Tallahassee is when DH’s travel sense comes in. There are certain stretches where time and space are malleable. At least in his mind they are. The 36 miles from Montgomery to Greenville is one - another is the 90+ miles from Tallahassee to I75. Both of these, in his mind, are a scant handful of miles; mere minutes from one to the next. So as soon as we pass the last Tallahassee exit:
DH: “What’s the next turn?”
Me: “I75.”
DH: “I know that. How much longer? Two, three exits down the road?”
Me: “No, it’s a ways.”
DH: “Thirty-40 miles?” (meaning about 15 minutes, the way he drives)
Me: “I think it’s longer than that” (trying to avoid math and the map book)
DH: “I don’t remember it being more than 60 miles.
Me: (finally giving in and getting out the map book and doing math) “It’s about 90 miles.”
DH: “Really.”
Me: “Yes: we just passed exit #### and the exit we’re looking for is ###.”
DH: “I thought it was closer.”

We jog over to I75 and head for the turnpike (another space/time malleable zone) We do always remember that the turnpike is to the left, so we’ve never missed that turn. Making sure the change is at the ready, we look down the turnpike towards Orlando. About 40 miles out, we see what looks like a mountain range in the distance. Unless some serious tectonic plate action has occurred, it’s not mountains, but rain clouds.

And so it was. One minute it was “Look at the pretty mountain range looking clouds” to “look, there’s Noah, looking for his off ramp.” Somehow, we make it off the turnpike and on to I4 with only a minor bout of spousal irritation (The automated coin counter kept demanding more money so DH thought I didn’t give him the right change. I thought because he made sure to line all the coins up and toss them in as a roll the counter didn’t count them right. Turns out we were both wrong because we verified everything on the way home and the automated counter STILL DEMANDED ANOTHER QUARTER!) We get onto International Drive with no problem and find our way to the hotel we usually stay the night before Disney.

We found this particular hotel the first year we came from Greenville without cats to herd or safes to drag. We reached the area we used to stay at about 3:00 in the afternoon. DH just wanted to get on to Orlando and I agreed. We reached Orlando at about 5:00pm and decided to see if the Quality Inn (DH’s hotel of choice at the time) had any rooms. They did and they were also going through a management/name change. We checked into the Quality Inn and checked out of the Rosen Inn.

We’ve never had any problems getting a room, so DH let me off at the entrance and I went in. And they had no rooms (Shock) I’m sure I looked a little stunned, because I was not expecting that they would not have any rooms. The Wonderful Desk Clerk filled out a referral form for their sister hotel, Rosen Center, just down International Drive a bit, with the Rosen Inn’s standard room rate, rather than the Rosen Center’s inflated Conference Center Hotel rate.

I went out to find DH and he looked as stunned as I when I said there was no room at the Inn. Then we found our way, following the directions given by the desk clerk (right onto International Drive and then a right into the Rosen Center) Check in was easy peasy with a little small talk about the rain and no room at the Inn. Then came the hard part: finding the parking deck. Not really that hard, just longer and more circuitous than we expected. But it was very close to an entrance into the Center. And covered. Which was good because the rain had said, “forget this drizzle stuff” and turned into a serious soaker.

We parked and started to gather the things we were going to take into the room for the night and that’s when I realized the overnight bag had just been packed for one night, the night in Greenville. So while it had sleep clothes and swim gear, there would be nothing for the next morning. We decided that DH would come down in the morning to get the big bag with all the clothes, when the rain hopefully would be gone. So off to the room.
I hadn’t worried too much about getting through the rain because the one thing I had remembered was the umbrella. It was the emergency umbrella with a broken spoke, but it would keep the rain off. I pulled it out and opened it up and heard: “Pop. Pop.” Then two more spokes joined the one I knew about dangling before my eyes. The umbrella still stayed it, it just had two little holes and drooped on one side. It worked well enough to get us into the hotel looking just drizzled on, instead of drenched, so there was that.

The entrance by the parking deck was the convention space entrance. So we had to schlep across the conference lobby, passed the restaurants, passed the deli/convenience store, until across from the bar we finally reached the elevators to the rooms. We were on the 13th floor.

The room was nice, if a little utilitarian (conference hotel, remember) and I immediately plugged in the phone and took off my wet shoes. DH took off his shoes too and then paced, getting over driving all day. We talked about dinner then, checking out what the hotel had to offer so we didn’t have to go out in the rain. The restaurant looked a little high scale for us and we didn’t want to commit a huge chunk of our budget to room service, so we decided on the little deli/convenience store, where we had seen sandwiches.

But first, DH wanted to go grab some stuff from the car and it was decided that I would go digging in the big duffel for at least starter clothes for the next day: T-shirt, socks, unmentionables, shorts etc. That way DH wouldn’t have to make multiple trips to and from the car in the morning. So we went out and I did my trunk spelunking which resulted in a change of clothes for each of us in some of the extra plastic grocery bags that I keep in the Pontiac’s trunk “Just In Case” It also resulted in a pair of DH’s underwear escaping from the duffel, which are in the trunk to this day.

Once more up to the 13th floor and then back down to the lobby; this time to grab dinner. No Food pics, but I had Tuna salad on a croissant and DH had chicken salad on croissant, which he, in the words on my MIL “Didn’t Love”

I actually have pictures:

The view from our room.

view by qpr_ra, on Flickr

The place we ate: (DH thinks the guy on the sign looks like former FL governer Crist...he's a weird guy, my DH)
Where we ate by qpr_ra, on Flickr

Next up: Disney At Last!!

 

[DMGeurts]

LOL I still love your writing style.

And I LOLed at your DH's unmentionables still in the trunk until this day... Sounds like something that would have happened at our house.

Sucks about the rain, but glad you made it through your trip and to Orlando safely.

Can't wait to hear all about your check in day at WDW, and your first park day.

D~

 

[sewmess]

LOL I still love your writing style.

And I LOLed at your DH's unmentionables still in the trunk until this day... Sounds like something that would have happened at our house.

Sucks about the rain, but glad you made it through your trip and to Orlando safely.

Can't wait to hear all about your check in day at WDW, and your first park day.

D~

I keep meaning to take them back in the house, but something or other always distracts me.

Thanks for hanging in here...Park days are better. Much less wet.

 

[nowellsl]

Just found your report! I'm really enjoying it, can't wait to read more!

 

[sewmess]

Just found your report! I'm really enjoying it, can't wait to read more!

Thanks for joining in!
***********

I know I'm WAY overdue for another chapter. It's coming, but I have to upload some pictures first and I never remember when I am where the pictures are.

And I have to take pictures of the purse I made. I'm using it daily so that means clearing it out to take the interior pictures and I just haven't had the energy.

I might have worked on it last weekend, but DH was working on the vacation video, and that meant all I had was the Kindle - and again, no access to the pictures.

So, I'm hoping for Sunday. I can "watch" football with DH and work on an update at the same time.

 

[sewmess]

So-maybe a post a month? I have actually started on DISNEY DAY 1, but life got in the way.

The past couple of weeks have been difficult.

Personal Life: My 78 year old mother fell a week ago Sunday and so I spent a good portion of the day with her in the Urgent care place. That Tuesday, I had a middle of the night asthma attack and got, about 3 hours sleep. The next day my mom had an orthopedist appointment and ended up in the hospital. Not for the minor fractures she had gotten from the fall, but from the impacted colon. They admitted her and found she had an irregular heartbeat. So she's been in the hospital for the past 5 days! She's feeling better and want's to go home (read: she's getty cranky and fussy) but the GI won't let her until they are absolutly certain all her plumbing is working properly. -Oh, and DH got a serious case of "just this side of pneumonia" bronchitis Friday, the day our new refriderator was being delivered. (Our old one flaked out on Thanksgiving but was behaving itself the day after Thanksgiving, after we'd already ordered a new one, taking advantage of the Black Friday sales)

So that's personal. Then there's work.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, my work email gave out. I didn't get that back to fully functionality until Monday afternoon. Then Tuesday our entire system got infected and our POS/Reservation system went MIA about mid-day. We didn't get that back until Thursday. We're still without our major document server, which went down the same time as the POS server. And I got involved in an HR issue because I'm a supervisor that another department trusts. (Do we not have a throwing up of the hands smiley? Because we should. Really.)

So, I haven't gotten diddley done for Christmas. My mom is cranky. DH is tired and cranky and I'm just tired! I can't imagine going through all of this with Children as well!!!

So...long story short (too late!) I'll have another update soon.

I hope.

 

[DMGeurts]

Awww Ruth - I am so sorry to hear about your mom. I sure hope she is out of the hospital soon.

And wow - on top of that your DH being sick and the fridge going out... Do you need me to pass you a drink now?

And work on top of that... Maybe this calls for wine???

Looking forward to the next update - take your time though, and get caught up at work/home.

D~

 

[sewmess]

Yeah, it's been a dinkin' kind of week. I had a hard cider last night. Don't know if it helped, but I enjoyed it.

Mom is going home today. We need to get her a walker, but she will be in her apartment with her bearded dragon for company & able to eat what she wants when she wants it.
We're back up to speed at work and DH's wheezing has diminished, although he does still give himself coughing fits by making himself laugh.

 

[sewmess]

We got up the next morning to find our reciept slid under the door. The rain had stopped and everything was looking up! Especially since we finally get to Disney property. We packed up what little we had to and, while DH was showering, I transfered from my daily purse to my designated, newly made, park bag. For those of your who know about D~'s UPB (Ultimate Park Bags) don't get too excited here. I literally finished the bag the night before we left Birmingham and wasn't able to fix any of my boo-boos. Like putting the pocket I had planned on keeping my tickets in on the bottom of the lining, so I ended up with a bottom pocket. See:

The outside - aside from being a little slouchier that I normally like my bags, but that's what I get for not putting in lining - is very servicable. Sturdy duck/canvas fabric top stitched in purple, in honor of Maleficent - a great villian. The strap is great! perfect length and sturdy too. The topstiching is a little iffy, but I'm my own worst critic.

So I transfered ID, cashy-money, bandaids, sunscreen, emergancy inhaler, bottle of ibeprofen for DH, bottle of Aleve for me, and other travel necessaries. The insurance cards were, like in the picture, in the "Oops" pocket. All in all, there are six interior pockets: the "Oops Bottom Pocket", a flap pocket (which I should have put a snap on, but again. . .finished the night before leaving.) two little ID type pockets, a slit pocket and a zipper pocket. Plus an elastic loop which I originally put my sunsscreen in, but about two days in I found a little tube of sunscreen in the medicine bag and slid that in one of the ID pockets and started using the elastic loop for my water bottles, which fit perfectly. You might say I like a little organization.

Finally we set off after a breakfast of frozen hummus (the in room refridgerator worked a little too well) for me and animal cracker for DH, we re-paked the little bit back in the car and headed off to see if we could find Carribbean Beach without swearing.

Didn't happen. Oh, we found it, but there was swearing. The sign for the turn off from EPCOT center drive to Buena Vista Drive is different than every other sign on Disney Property, I swear. Most of the signs that say "Attraction/Resort/Happy Place Next Right" are about 100 yards or more from the turn. This one is like, 100 centimeters from the turn. So we miss it. Every Year. Except last year when the resort hopping gods were smiling at us as we attempted to transfer 6 people's luggage and 3 room reservations in 30 minutes as to not miss rope drop at Islands of Adventure and (more importantly) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. But this year, we missed it. DH cussed, I rolled my eyes, you know; the usual spousal irritants. We did eventually get to where we needed to go, without having to turn around at Animal Kingdom Lodge. (We did one year...Not really sure how we ended up there.)

But arrive we did at Carribbean Beach, and went to check in. Now, I have a confession: this was not my finest hour. I had the confimation packet out at the security gate, just in case we needed it (we didn't) and, instead of putting it back in the bag, where it would have been logical, I put it in the car consol. So, when we get to the counter (only ones in line...I love checking in at some ridiculously early time and avoiding lines) I didn't have it with me. I kind of lost it. Quietly - no scenes were made - but I couldn't focus on anything and DH's insistance that I did not give it to him, which I swore at the time that I had, was not making it better. So while I quietly went completely bonkers and DH was becoming more and more frustrated at me - still quietly, the poor Cast Member was checking us in. And doing a lovely job. I wish I could remember his name so I could let the Disney people know that this fabulous older gentleman from Massachusets dealt with a crazy woman and her husband with great elan. He got us a room that was already good to go so we would have a place. He gently steered us through the process (including going over the dining plan which we have had for the past 4 years, so we're pretty adept at using the credits) and taught us how to correctly pronouce Cah, where Dh was telling me I left the reservation packet.

We made it out of there without anyone but the poor guy checking us in knowing that DH was about to shake me because I had absolutly lost my everloving mind, and headed over to our room, 1346. Of which I took a grand total of 0 pictures, but it did continue the trip theme of 13. Barbados, second floor, pool view, not a corner room but a fairly straight shot to the bus stop. I'll be honest here too - it was good to be at our Disney home.

We didn't do much in the room: just get everything in, put some water in the fridge to chill and I changed from my crocs to my
sneakers and we headed to Magic Kingdom. And. Made. Rope. Drop.

Rope Drop!!! After all the mess I made of check in (possibly exaggerated due to personal embarrassment, I'll admit, but it took a lot of time in my mind.)

We made our way to Tomorrow Land. Early morning = short lines! Space Ranger Spin: 5 minutes. Where I, as usual, beat DH. by 50,000. (is there a smug smiley?) Space Mountain: 10 minutes. Man, I forgot how fast those new tracks are. Then, for a change of pace, we went on the TTA/People Mover. DH, who has an unhealthy attraction to neon, loves riding it at night, but the ride during the light is nice too.

Then it was on to fantasy land. There were cranes everywhere. 1 at the castle. 2 around the new Mine Ride skeleton. (upon reading that, I had a frightening image of those Gulls from FN...Brrrr)

Pooh was a walk on..."and the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down..." best bit. Meandered on, passing Peter Pan (20 minutes at 9:45am. Really? But then again, I'm not in love with the source material.) and then past the new Rapunzal bathrooms in skeletal stage.

Haunted Mansion was a 10 minute wait. This is when we started thinking that 5-10 minutes is Disney's way of saying "However long it'll take you to walk your happy self down to loading."

Walked on, into Frontier Land and found that both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder were not working. Wow. Two of the three mountains down, so we meandered on to Pirates and enjoyed "not doing things." That's a direct quote from my notes and I've got not the first clue as to what it means.

Next up: "Melts in your Purse, Not in Your Hands" or "We Did how many things?"

So...I was planning on more pictures, but the photo hosting site, which shall remain namesless... and I are having some issues at the moment.