From WDW to DL With Love - January 06, 2011 part 2

[Tami0220]

I've never done a scrapbook, but I have been buying and buying stuff for a PC crossing/DCL scrapbook. Getting lots of things ready for all those photos I plan to take.

As for bread, I'm off carbs, but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE bread. Any kind. It's a weakness. Glad I dont live close by.

As for SM, I've signed up. For FE's I hope we dont have more than 100 participants because I am so anal that I have already completed my FEs. Make 100 pkgs and they are already packaged in the document box and addressed and ready to send to the warehouse pre cruise. I told you I suffer from OVD!

So I am totally waiting for the excursions to be listed as I am running out of things to plan and do. Air, hotel, and post cruise arrangements have all been made and paid for. Paying off cruise next month.

I am working on SM gifts, so at least I have something to keep me busy.

 

[disfaninca]

Happy Saturday everyone. A bit on the nippy side here and there was snow on the roof this morning although nothing on the ground. Plus super windy - although not the 60- mph winds that I heard were reported in Altoona, PA. Our trees are a swaying I will say.

I am all in for the planning to begin. I know we will do the FE and SM but the excursions are what are the most fun to think about for me.

And - gotta share, our youngest DS got an intern position with the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, MN. I will miss his 21st birthday but I am planning a trip over the July 4th weekend to go up (or down, over and up) to see him. I know we raise them to go out into the world and do good things - but this is my baby and letting that last one go is going to be a problem, I can tell already. Funny, how proud and sad it can make you feel, all at the same time.

OK, have a great day everyone - I will check back later.

Congratulations to you DS!! That is great!!
It is so hard when your baby grows up. I'm starting to go through that right now. My youngest DD is graduating from high school in June, and she plans to move to AZ shortly after. I'm so dreading the day she moves, but I know she wants to go to school out there. Luckily she will be staying with DS and his family, so she won't be completely on her own.

You have every reason to be proud...and sad at the same time.

 

[disfaninca]

Wow Tami!! You are amazing!! You already have FEs packed and ready to go? I wish I was as organized as you.
I'm not even close!

I'm in the process of planning this cruise, and the cruise we are taking in October, and I still am not all together!

I would love to scrapbook, I just haven't started yet. I have bought things for scrapbooking, but I just don't know where to start! Whenever I try to start, I look at all of my pictures and it just gets overwhelming. I keep telling myself that I just need to get in there and get busy.

 

[carmie3377]

I have tons of scrapbooking stuff but very rarely scrapbook. I've started a couple but never finished. Actually, I didn't know too much about scrapbooking at the time I started them so they are not very good. They're not too bad but they're not cohesive at all. I just can't seem to get started on them. I have bought albums and papers on all of our Disney trips and one of these days plan to do them. I do do other paper crafts though. I have made autograph books for the kids, cards, hangings for DS's room, school projects, ect so I do get use out of my cricut and tons of paper

As far as the FE, I know what I'm doing for the kids, teen girls, and women but don't know really what to do for the men or teen boys. I could also resort to candy and goodies, but would like something a little more creative. At least I got a bit of time!

 

[WDW Princess 71]

I *knew* I wouldn't be able to keep up with you all

Of course, doesn't help that we've just had two weeks of school holidays, and trying to keep four kids entertained means I haven't been able to get within coo-ee of the computer most days ! Never mind, hopefully that will change once they go back to school next week (although I'm doing a week of graveyeard shift, so prob. won't get much time to post then, either !)

Anyway, to whoever asked eons ago (I read the first 3 or 4 responses to my last post)..... we get 4 weeks of paid annual leave in Australia, and some companies will also allow you to "buy or sell" leave as well. Further to that, some companies will allow you take more leave without pay. Hence, our 4 week overseas trip.

We are staying 4 nights in DL from Christmas, then 8 nights at WDW after that, then the PC cruise. DH and I both turn 40 towards the end of the year, so a Christmas/NY trip is perfect.

I'm still trying to get my head around everything associated with a DCL, so please bear with me. I do know that we'd love to take part in the FE exchange if one is arranged

Also trying to figure out what we're going to need clothing-wise - sounds like everything from shorts to suits to sweaters ! I'm not quite sure how we're going to manage it all with so many flights

Anyway, that's all from "Down Under" for now - hope you all are having a great weekend.

Cheers,
Sally

Hi Sally! That is amazing how much leave you get in Australia, and how some companies allow you to buy or sell time off or take time off without pay. I wish we had those standards in the US. Right now I only work part time as I'm finishing grad school, so in the past few years I've had so much time to be able to have wonderful vacations, but after this cruise in January, and my big trip Down Under in March 2011, while I am looking forward to getting my first full-time job, I am very much dreading our U.S. standards of paid vacation. The standard here for entry level jobs is just 2 weeks per year, and it takes years and years to accrue more allowance of weeks off here. And if you switch jobs and go to another company, you start at the bottom with just 2 weeks again. That is why this year is my "year of travels" doing three trips that are 3 weeks each, because I just won't have the time after that once I start working until retirement many, many years away : (

 

[JenKatt]

Hi Sally! That is amazing how much leave you get in Australia, and how some companies allow you to buy or sell time off or take time off without pay. I wish we had those standards in the US. Right now I only work part time as I'm finishing grad school, so in the past few years I've had so much time to be able to have wonderful vacations, but after this cruise in January, and my big trip Down Under in March 2011, while I am looking forward to getting my first full-time job, I am very much dreading our U.S. standards of paid vacation. The standard here for entry level jobs is just 2 weeks per year, and it takes years and years to accrue more allowance of weeks off here. And if you switch jobs and go to another company, you start at the bottom with just 2 weeks again. That is why this year is my "year of travels" doing three trips that are 3 weeks each, because I just won't have the time after that once I start working until retirement many, many years away : (

To be fair, it depends on what line of work you are in. I have NEVER only had 2 weeks off a year, but to also be fair I use to do **** work so vacations were very flexible. However, Jeff and I both have "regular" jobs now, that are pretty recent for us (less than 3 years in the current roles) and have no problem taking the 3 weeks off for the cruise plus DL at the end.
That's vacation, things like maternity leave are different story! We're very back-buttwards with that.

 

[WDW Princess 71]

To be fair, it depends on what line of work you are in. I have NEVER only had 2 weeks off a year, but to also be fair I use to do **** work so vacations were very flexible. However, Jeff and I both have "regular" jobs now, that are pretty recent for us (less than 3 years in the current roles) and have no problem taking the 3 weeks off for the cruise plus DL at the end.
That's vacation, things like maternity leave are different story! We're very back-buttwards with that.

LOL what kind of work is **** work? I am so clueless sometimes...

Anyway, I guess that is reassuring about what you said. I work for the county, where since I'm part-time I can take off whenever without pay, but I know our full time employees cant do that and they only get 12 days off per year for the first 5 years of employment. This is the only place I've ever worked, so I dont know a lot about other places, but I have talked to many of my coworkers who have had lots of other careers before coming to work for the county, and they said all of their previous jobs were the same way, 2 weeks per year, and some even had jobs that only started at 1 week, which I cannot even fathom. Maybe its a NJ thing, or maybe I just talked to unlucky people lol. But maybe there is hope after all listening to what you have experienced!

 

[ACDSNY]

I have another couple of years before my DH catches up with me on vacation time so we have to stay within his limits. He currently gets 4 weeks and I get a little over 5 weeks. I've worked for the County for over 29 years and still have quite a few to go to support my travel habit.

 

[disfaninca]

LOL what kind of work is **** work? I am so clueless sometimes...

Anyway, I guess that is reassuring about what you said. I work for the county, where since I'm part-time I can take off whenever without pay, but I know our full time employees cant do that and they only get 12 days off per year for the first 5 years of employment. This is the only place I've ever worked, so I dont know a lot about other places, but I have talked to many of my coworkers who have had lots of other careers before coming to work for the county, and they said all of their previous jobs were the same way, 2 weeks per year, and some even had jobs that only started at 1 week, which I cannot even fathom. Maybe its a NJ thing, or maybe I just talked to unlucky people lol. But maybe there is hope after all listening to what you have experienced!

It really does depend on who you work for. DH gets a long vacation and a short vacation every year. He also has a compressed work schedule so he can take days off before or after vacation to extend it.
Hopefully you will be able to find job that can give you options.

 

[tlungstrum]

I know! I am dying for something cool like that to display my Disney pins. Right now they are all on the lanyards, which you cannot appreciate them on. I really want something to display them like the guitar, like you said a Mickey shape would be fantastic but in the interim I think I am going to try to figure out at least a rectangle shape or something!

So I know this is almost two weeks late, forgive me. I thought I'd share our pin display if I can figure out how to attach the pics that is.

 

[poohs4me]

We also get very limited vacation combo sick days so we have been saving up since we booked this trip. It would be nice if we could take some time off without pay, but if we do that all of our benefits stop.

 

[tlungstrum]

I just hit the 3 weeks of vacation per year mark, but we also get floating holidays and I work 4 10 hour days so I have plenty of time for a month off in January. I know what you mean about maternity leave though...try having kids 18 months apart and you pretty much use up everything and then some. I would also like to point out that I am now offically caught up on reading posts and will try to post more often.

 

[tlungstrum]

I know some of you have connections, so I was just wondering... Does anyone know if they will offer the CD to get all of your pics for the PC cruise and if so do we know the estimated price? Thanks!

 

[TDC Nala]

Fed. govt. gives me the equivalent of 4.5 wks paid annual leave but not all at once, it has to be accrued over the year. Some of it can be carried over to the next year but there is a limit on that. In 2 years when I hit 15 years with the govt. it'll go up to the equivalent of about 5 weeks accrued annual leave. Leave without pay is an option but they seem to prefer you use it only as a last resort in emergencies, not for vacations, because it goes on your record how much leave without pay you use.

Sick leave is separate and also accrued.

 

[danfromca]

Fed. govt. gives me the equivalent of 4.5 wks paid annual leave but not all at once, it has to be accrued over the year. Some of it can be carried over to the next year but there is a limit on that. In 2 years when I hit 15 years with the govt. it'll go up to the equivalent of about 5 weeks accrued annual leave. Leave without pay is an option but they seem to prefer you use it only as a last resort in emergencies, not for vacations, because it goes on your record how much leave without pay you use.

Sick leave is separate and also accrued.

I never worked in government... in the private sector, 2 weeks is still pretty standard until you've been at a company for a while.

I'm fortunate though - I've been self employed for almost 20 years now, which means either I'm never on vacation or always on vacation - depending on one's point of view...

 

[cardidog]

Fed. govt. gives me the equivalent of 4.5 wks paid annual leave but not all at once, it has to be accrued over the year. Some of it can be carried over to the next year but there is a limit on that. In 2 years when I hit 15 years with the govt. it'll go up to the equivalent of about 5 weeks accrued annual leave. Leave without pay is an option but they seem to prefer you use it only as a last resort in emergencies, not for vacations, because it goes on your record how much leave without pay you use.

Sick leave is separate and also accrued.

Ahhh---the wonderful benefits of being employed by Uncle Sam! I've been at the Archives for 19 years and my husband has been there for 21 so we each get 2 days of annual leave and one day of sick leave per month. We can carry-over 240 hours of annual leave per year---some long-time feds take the entire month of December off because they have too much leave so they must "use it or lose it"----I've never had that problem. We can also earn up to 2 hours per day of "credit time" to use as leave. Sometime this year we get to accrue our sick leave towards our overall time in government and there is some talk about putting unused leave into our retirement accounts. Right now I am so looking forward to only working 5 or 6 days next January!!!!!

Oh, we also get all of those wonderful Federal holidays off---mostly on Mondays and wouldn't you know it but the new doctor I found last week doesn't work on Mondays. Sigh.

Speaking of Doctors---any Doctor Who fans in this bunch? The new guy isn't too bad---I really like his companion Amy---but they both look sooooo young!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't do use it or lose it either. Because this cruise is in January I have to carry over leave from this year for it but I won't have enough for use or lose anyway.

For the first 2 years it's a much lower accrual rate, then the middle one between 2 years and 15 years.

We get the alternate work schedules also, I work 9 hours and have every other Monday off. If my Monday off is a holiday I get another day off.

 

[Bookwood]

As a substitute teacher I can take whatever I want (and can afford) off. Beginning of the new semester (jan) is a good time as most teacher want to be in their classrooms the first week or so to "get things settled" DH hits 20+ with his employer this year and has 4+ weeks now of vacation- but was worried about spending half of them for the cruise (maybe a little more than half) actually. They are going from their current arrangement to some kind of PTO (paid time off) arrangement that hasn't been discussed yet which is why he was a little worried.

 

[aan1701]

Well this I were I love my union, by the way I really am not a fan of unions but let's not get into it. Now that I have been with SWA a full 10 years, I get 4 weeks vacation. Because I keep perfect attendance I get an extra 2 days a year. Also every month I get a floating holiday Jan-Oct. So that is 10 more days. So in 2011 I will have 32 days off. Also, since in 10 1/2 years I have never called out sick or been late, so I have just over 1000 hours of sick time. I wish I could convert some of that to vacation.

 

[pahrumpgirl]

Wow Tami!! You are amazing!! You already have FEs packed and ready to go? I wish I was as organized as you.
I'm not even close!

I'm in the process of planning this cruise, and the cruise we are taking in October, and I still am not all together!

I would love to scrapbook, I just haven't started yet. I have bought things for scrapbooking, but I just don't know where to start! Whenever I try to start, I look at all of my pictures and it just gets overwhelming. I keep telling myself that I just need to get in there and get busy.

I really have the same problem with more pictures than I can handle. The best thing I did was pick one special thing like the scrapbook for my only granddaughter and now that I have finished that I am really excited about trying another one. I will probably work on one for my puppies next. In the meantime I need to go through pictures of my Disney trips and decide how I want to do them.

I know some of you have connections, so I was just wondering... Does anyone know if they will offer the CD to get all of your pics for the PC cruise and if so do we know the estimated price? Thanks!

On the 2008 PC cruise DCL still had their contract with an outside photo company and didn't have PhototPass. I remember someone saying on one of our cruises that they had about 5 years on the contract and then would probably go to PhotoPass. I really hope that they do it soon.

Ahhh---the wonderful benefits of being employed by Uncle Sam! I've been at the Archives for 19 years and my husband has been there for 21 so we each get 2 days of annual leave and one day of sick leave per month. We can carry-over 240 hours of annual leave per year---some long-time feds take the entire month of December off because they have too much leave so they must "use it or lose it"----I've never had that problem. We can also earn up to 2 hours per day of "credit time" to use as leave. Sometime this year we get to accrue our sick leave towards our overall time in government and there is some talk about putting unused leave into our retirement accounts. Right now I am so looking forward to only working 5 or 6 days next January!!!!!

Oh, we also get all of those wonderful Federal holidays off---mostly on Mondays and wouldn't you know it but the new doctor I found last week doesn't work on Mondays. Sigh.

Speaking of Doctors---any Doctor Who fans in this bunch? The new guy isn't too bad---I really like his companion Amy---but they both look sooooo young!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Love Dr. Who. Recorded last nights show so am anxious to check out the new Dr. Really like the old one though so am hoping not to be disappointed.