Get Me the Heck Out of Here!!

[latexscooter]

As we get closer to our trip I get more and more anxious and excited. But if you’re a good planner (and I’d like to think I am) when you hit the 60 day mark you’re done. Sure you have to pack but really, the nuts and bolts are done. I’ve been reading PTR like crazy and finally decided to write one of my own. I need an outlet and the Dis provides one, so here we go!

I’m calling this the Get Me the Heck Out of Here PTR because we need a vacation BAD. Real Bad. Life is wearing on us and we really need a break to unplug and reconnect with one another. We’re stressed, hanging on by a thread and becoming strangers. So here’s a little background on why we need to get out of Dodge.

Last year, DH decided to stop working and get his Master’s Degree. His goal is a career change from being a graphic designer to teaching college full-time. He’s been an adjunct professor for the past 8 years at several colleges and really loves the fulfillment he gets from teaching. But in order for him to do this he needed to stop working. Since he’s no longer bringing in a full time income, it’s all on me. I often ask myself how the heck men in the 1950s carried the brunt of family, income, career, blah, blah, blah,? It’s stressful. I’m all for women’s lib and all but I have to say this is hard. I’m constantly worried about something happening and losing my job, or illness, or meteor showers, earthquakes, etc., etc., etc. Through all of this I have found that I’m a worry wart and I just need to surrender. But being a worry wart doesn’t let you do that, so I worry. I worry so much that I got TMJ, ground my teeth until I broke one, went on steroids for jaw inflammation and got shingles. And that’s all in the past month. Good grief I need a vacation. Not to mention working on a Masters is no bed of flowers and DH is in need of a break. The only one in our family walking on a bed of flowers is my darling daughter. And she should be walking on a bed of flowers because she’s 6 and doesn’t need to know about the worries and problems that plague adults. She’ll have a lifetime of that so we do our best to give her the happiest childhood she can have. Thank God for her. Some people drink or do drugs; I get my high from my kid.

So that’s the short of the why. My next installment will be the fun stuff. A little bit about us and the trip details. Hopefully you’ll stick around and maybe I can get some good advice. Maybe I’ll get to revise my plans - that would be fun! I love planning the trip almost as much as the trip itself. Don’t you?

 

[latexscooter]

We visit WDW at least once a year but last year DH elected not to go so we went with my Mother. It was nice to have three generations of girls and since DD and I arrived early we had some quiet time in the parks alone. It was nice but we both missed DH a lot. So it will be 2 years since we’ve taken a trip together as a family. We are all so excited and the next couple months can go by quick enough.

So who are we? We’re the Bz family. We live in San Antonio, TX and all three of us love Disney - especially the parks. Here’s a picture of my darling daughter who is six right now but will be turning seven about 3 weeks before our trip.

She’s very excited about being seven and really thinks the age thing will make a big difference on the trip. She’s already been on Expedition Everest but she thinks Primeval Whirl is the bomb and wants to be able to go on that. I think she’s interested in PW only because she hasn’t been able to go on it before (too short) and because it’s on the cover of the latest Unofficial Guide. Regardless, that’s her must do this trip.

Here’s a picture of my darling husband taken during our last family trip at the OKW bus stop. Ignore his shirt; I swear he listens to every word I say.

And here I am. This was taken at Whispering Canyon. I received some recognition for helping out during the pony race. Notice the one pic is a fast past to the bathroom LOL. I love that place.

And the last pic is a couple years old but it’s a favorite. This is the three of us sitting by the flowers outside the France pavilion. It was a beautiful day and the Photopass Photographer saw us just chilling there and offered to take a picture. I thought that was very nice of him.

So that’s us. Next up, the planning!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Good for you!! I also live in San Antonio, and I also am the primary bread-winner in our house...so I TOTALLY know what you mean and how you feel. I can't imagine going on a trip without DH, though -- he fulfills the trip for me.

What's really weird -- I have issues with my TMJs, too. But, it's because I got slugged at a Deff Leopard concert back when I was about 20 by this guy who felt like he needed more room and used his elbow to make his point. Jerk. Totally affected the rest of my life. But, anyway.

We LOVE Disney, and will be going for a week on 4 June. Even though you're going a little earlier, can't wait to hear your plans!! We took our daughter the first time when she was in kindergarten, and now she's 13...I miss that elementary age, but every age is a blessing.

So, on with the plans...!

 

[cmp1111]

I'd say you need a trip!

Your DD is adorable. My kids are also obsessed with PW. I think, like your DD, it's that they haven't been able to go before. Well, my one son could have - he's currently 2 1/2 inches taller than his twin - but he's the timid one. The daredevil was too short last time we went, go figure.

 

[latexscooter]

Thank you for reading my TR. It's nice to know the words don't go to the great abyss but get received.

Good for you!! I also live in San Antonio, and I also am the primary bread-winner in our house...so I TOTALLY know what you mean and how you feel. I can't imagine going on a trip without DH, though -- he fulfills the trip for me.

What's really weird -- I have issues with my TMJs, too.

We LOVE Disney, and will be going for a week on 4 June.

I found there are a lot of one family income households in SA and I'm glad I'm not the only woman doing it. There's definitely an abundance of SHM here and sometimes I get a case of the sads.

Do you have a mouth guard for your TMJ? My dentist wants to get one but I'm wondering if they really work.

Too bad we won't be there at the same time. But I got a question for you since you're local, any advice for dog kennels? I'm struggling with that one.

I'd say you need a trip!
Your DD is adorable. My kids are also obsessed with PW. I think, like your DD, it's that they haven't been able to go before.

Thanks for the hugs, even the virtual ones do the trick. I think you are right on the money about PW. I guess she'll have to go on it to learn her lesson. I guess the worse thing that could happen is we have to go on it six times in a row... that would be terrible!

Okay, I'm off to finish my next installment.

 

[latexscooter]

October 2009 was when I really started getting into the planning. I started playing with dates, looking at school schedules, important dates for things going on at my work, really getting a handle of when we could go. Everyone at work warned me about taking Avery (DD) out of school because apparently they take attendance very seriously here in Texas – I could go to jail, be fined or lose custody – no joke. I was like, really?! But a coworker had taken her son out for a week in kindergarten and they sent her a note saying one more unexcused absence and she was going to court. Apparently attendance is tied to the money the district and school gets. You’d think attorney fees and courts would cost money too but who am I to argue. Long story short, school breaks or summer were my only choices.

For a short period of time I looked at March but when DD and DH school breaks didn’t jive I scrapped that. I looked at May - which is when we usually go anyways - and decided on that. The problem was that DD doesn’t get off of school until Friday, May 28 – and it’s a half day. I really was getting queasy just thinking about post-Memorial Day travels, but what could I do? I finally decided on May 25 because at least we’ll get a handful of days before Memorial Day and DD will only miss a few days. They won’t throw me in jail for a few days… I hope. DD is going to miss the last 3 ½ days of school, so wish me luck.

After getting a ball park on dates I decided to play with airfare. Since it was like 8 months out, there really wasn’t much to look at. But then the heavens opened up and I got a big blessing in the form of “reward points.” These reward points are what the company I work for give to employees for doing a good job at something outside the scope of normal expectations. You can spend them in an online rewards mall like Amazon and it includes travel! Ta-da, free airfare, and I could book it 8 months out. I ended up getting the dates I wanted (for the most part) and I had enough points for all three of us. So that actually freed up about $800 in the budget that I hadn’t created yet. (Why create a budget when it only causes worry. Have I mentioned I worry?) This was really good news and brought some relief to a normally stressful task for me. Something about booking air fare always freaks me out. I get paranoid about time, layovers, cost, seats, class, takeoff, landing – have I mentioned I worry a lot? I swear I’ve grown up to be my grandma.

One of the bummers of booking with the points, though, is a limited number of dates, times. Long story short, we have to fly out at 5:30 crack of dawn in the morning. That’s insane. But who am I kidding, nobody sleeps the night before they go to Disney… and it’s FREE.

So, we are going May 25-June2. That’s a Tuesday to Wednesday trip – nine wonderful days. In 2007 we took a nine day trip and decided that was the magic number. As a matter of fact, I’ve just made a decision that number nine is my new favorite number. It’s just the right amount of time for Disney. You take off your arrival and departure days and that brings you to seven. You take off a day smack dab in the middle of vacation for rest, resort, whatever and that gives you six. Then you split those up with the parks and you are golden. So, nine is the best amount of time for the Bz family to vacation.

Well, that’s all I can do for now. My kid is stinky and needs a bath and even though she’s on spring break I should stick to my guns and make her take one. I’ll pick up tomorrow with the best friends family that will join us – not.

 

[cmp1111]

If it makes you feel any better, the first time we went, we left on the Sunday of Mem. Day weekend, and it was perfect. Up here in the northeast, schools aren't out until mid-June, so the crowds are still low. You probably don't worry about it as much, being from TX, but it's nice and warm, without the humidity. I'd love to go again at that time, but with school not being out until Father's Day weekend (wish I was kidding, and that's ONLY because we had only 3 snow days this year) it's not going to happen any time soon.

 

[latexscooter]

If it makes you feel any better, the first time we went, we left on the Sunday of Mem. Day weekend, and it was perfect. Up here in the northeast, schools aren't out until mid-June, so the crowds are still low. You probably don't worry about it as much, being from TX, but it's nice and warm, without the humidity. I'd love to go again at that time, but with school not being out until Father's Day weekend (wish I was kidding, and that's ONLY because we had only 3 snow days this year) it's not going to happen any time soon.

Thanks for the words of encouragement on Memorial Day weekend. It's really been a hot button for me. But now we're bound to it there isn't much I can do.

We moved to Texas just over two years ago from Western NY. I remember the school years let out later but I couldn't recall just how much since my daughter had not started school yet.

The weather in Orlando is the one thing that doesn't frighten us at all. Last year when we left Orlando it was a gorgeous 83 degrees. We got off the plan here in San Antonio and it was 103. I never thought I'd live someplace that would have temperatures that would make Orlando feel cold but I do. Regardless, the May weather is great and I can't wait!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Thank you for reading my TR. It's nice to know the words don't go to the great abyss but get received.

I found there are a lot of one family income households in SA and I'm glad I'm not the only woman doing it. There's definitely an abundance of SHM here and sometimes I get a case of the sads.

Do you have a mouth guard for your TMJ? My dentist wants to get one but I'm wondering if they really work.

Too bad we won't be there at the same time. But I got a question for you since you're local, any advice for dog kennels? I'm struggling with that one.

There are a lot of "lurkers" that read but don't post -- I think the more you get into planning, the more likely you are to get involved in posting to other threads -- and I get great ideas from other people on these boards!

I never have had a mouth guard -- the USAF (when I was active duty) never thought I needed one, since most of the time my mouth doesn't bother me. When I needed to "open wide" for the dentist, I would have to "unhinge" my jaw to open it wide enough -- eating hard, hard foods is difficult, and then if I have a really big burger (not often), I can't open wide enough -- those are the only times I really have a hard time with my jaw. They click, occasionally, and I've found I can't stretch and yawn at the same time -- my jaw locks. So...if I ever needed a guard, I didn't know it.

As for the kennel, we use one on "our side" of town. I say that because it's only about 2 miles from our house, and we live in Garden Ridge. It's a small place that is run by a lady who really loves what she does and takes good care of each of the animals she takes in, cleans them and walks them...it's highly in demand space. It's called Paw Prints, 210-651-1988, off of Nacogdoches.

 

[latexscooter]

As for the kennel, we use one on "our side" of town. I say that because it's only about 2 miles from our house, and we live in Garden Ridge. It's a small place that is run by a lady who really loves what she does and takes good care of each of the animals she takes in, cleans them and walks them...it's highly in demand space. It's called Paw Prints, 210-651-1988, off of Nacogdoches.

Thanks so much. I don't really care where it's located as long as they take good care of my babies. I'm just north of the Stone Oak area so I could take a quick hop down 1604 to Garden Ridge without a problem.

 

[latexscooter]

I was going to talk about the friends that were going to join us but changed their minds, but that's going to have to wait a bit.

Kenneling the dogs has become the hardest aspect of planning this trip. I'm particuarily worried about this because our stay extends over Memorial Day weekend. We need to line this up.

When we lived in NY we had a great kennel that we loved. We used them every time we needed to and I never felt bad about leaving my dogs there. They had runs that were 10 feet wide and 40 feet long. They were both indoor and outdoor and the indoor portion was heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer. They were located in a park so it was green vegetation everywhere and wild animals prancing around. My dogs actually enjoyed going there for visits. They charged me $25 dollars for the first dog and then 10% off for the second dog - bringing the grand total to $47.50 a day . That's a camp site rental at Disney during some seasons so the cost isn't lost on me. But at least the dogs were safe, well cared for, had a vet on site and I could have peace.

When we first moved to Texas we made great friends with the people who lived right next door. We watched their pets and they watched ours. It was a win-win for everyone and worked out well until they moved away. So now I'm on the hunt for a kennel and it has been a chore. A CHORE!!!!

I've been referred to a few places by friends that I know. These are real dog lovers. One of them even takes her dog to day care every day while she goes to work. The cost are in line with what we had in NY but not what you get in exchange. Most places want $50-$60 a day to watch my dogs. These are for small interior rooms and they will feed and water my dogs once a day and let them out once a day. If I want to let the dogs out I have to pay an additional $8-$12 each additional time (per dog) to let them go to the potty. So now we're starting to look at the cost of boarding my dogs to be in line with what I'm paying to stay at POFQ - remember thats $110 a night.

First, I know a business is a business. But this is really absurd. I guess its just one of those weird it cost more in San Antonio things. Like haircuts, the average womans haircut is $60 in San Antonio. You can get a 3000 square foot brick house for $150k but you have to be raked over the coals for a hair cut and to board your dog. Go figure.

Okay, so the only outstanding, unplanned portion of our trip is the caretaking of my dogs. I'm meeting with the Furry Godmother sometime soon and continue to call kennels until I find a good fit for me and my babies. When I have an update I'll let you know. Heck, you'll probably hear my sigh of relief from wherever you are. Next up, for real this time, they're are coming, not!

 

[latexscooter]

I am an only child of divorced parents with a mother who moved me 1,200 miles away from family and friends in the 5th grade. I always wanted a sibling because I thought it would be fun. I had not one, but two imaginary friends. I'd ask Santa for sister or a brother, once I learned what a foster kid was I asked for one of those too. But it wasn't meant to be.

As an adult I've been fortunate to have some pretty good friendships with folks that I can actually go on vacation with and still like them before, during and after. (Believe me that can actually be hard.) One of those dear friends is Samantha.

Before having kids we would vacation together and it really was great. We didn't have to be with each other 24/7, we could do separate things, we enjoyed each others company and being with her was like having the sister that I never had.

When kids came along things got a little harder but weren't impossible. She lived in PA and we lived in NY and we would stay at each others homes. But her husband took a job in CT and I took one in TX and it just wasn't possible to visit like we had before. It's sad but I haven't seen her since moving to TX over two years ago.

Last year she moved to IL and we talked about taking a vacation together to Disney. She knows I'm a Disney nut and go every year but it just wasn't a place we had done together. But since I did a trip for the Marathon in January 2009 and just Avery and I were planning to go in May for a few days, an all hands on deck family trip wasn't going to work. Then she heard about the 4/3 promotion and decided to go in March anyways. I planned a good chunk of her trip for her, taught her about ADRs, where to go when, all the tips I knew and had, I shared. They went and had the time of their lives. Became instant Disney fans.

So when I started my planning October, it put a bug in her ear. I made my air travel in October and started crunching numbers, tried to forcast discounts, and on Nov.1 I booked my hotel but didn't pay my deposit. Over the next 7 days we talked a lot about doing a trip and the cost. When I finally paid my deposit and told her and she didn't seem as enthusiastic as she once was, I pretty much gave up.

When I booked my ADRs later in the month and I talked about all the good food and fun she started to show excitement again. And not long after she booked a trip. Same dates, hotel, everything! I was so excited. She even was surrendering 100% control of trip planning to me. She said all my dining looked good and asked that I try and do the same but for all 7 of us. Even though the 180 day mark had come and gone I was able to get everything I wanted for the group. This trip was meant to be... or so I thought.

We talked about the trip and Avery was thrilled to know Samantha and her kids would be joining us. Her eldest and Avery are so close in age and she hadn't seen Sophie since she was a baby. They hadn't booked airfare yet but because of where they lived in IL they had three airports to pick from and expected a good rate. I did a little research and found fares for $175 RT PP direct into Sanford. Things were looking up.

But that was short lived. One day Samantha called me and said they couldn't come. They had some financial difficulty last year and hadn't been able to recover. She had hoped to use their income tax return but that was going to have to go elsewhere. Maybe in 2011. I was so sad... I'm still sad.

Avery took it pretty hard too. Shes a great only child and gets to play with many friends. And she loves being with us. We have both a Six Flags and Seaworld nearby and have season passes. And usually when we're in line she tries to befriend any like-sized person near her. And because I was an only child I know that it can be tough not having someone else to run around and play with. I can't wait until she's older and we can bring someone elses kid with us. I just want her to feel bad that she's in the happiest place on earth and she isn't living up to that. You know what I mean?

To fill the void of the lack of playmate, I'm going to try and give her some opportunity to play with other kids sans adults. We have booked a pirate cruise and will be doing the Family Magic Tour too. We're going to try and really show her that we can be just as fun as other kids and hopefully we succeed. She always has a wonderful time and talks about Disney so we must be doing something right, you think?

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Wow -- that dog kennel sounds amazing...this one is not anywhere near that fantastic. They don't have runs, so have to walk them twice a day. There is another place really close to us called "Otto's Doggie Daycare" (I think that's the name) that has an amazing barn that they have spaces for each dog, beds, and then play areas inside and outside the barn. That sounds more like what you're looking for...it's run by a German woman who absolutely loves the animals.

Your story is heart-wrenching!! We also have an only child, although we tried again ... we'll see her in heaven. But I hope you find joy for Avery and for yourself...! I think you are doing a great thing in getting her "kid time" -- maybe someday you can take her BFF to WDW with you, like we are for our daughter!