Happier'n a Tornado in a Trailer Park: A Pre-Trip Journal Updated w/link to TR p 11

[winkers]

Those sound like great choices! We're eating at some of the same places as you.

 

[BrerMama]

Those sound like great choices! We're eating at some of the same places as you.

I'm more than ready to get eating! Now if time would only pass faster...

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Mid-June 2006, we're staying at The Wilderness Campground near Silver Dollar City (in Branson, MO... told ya I'd be bringing it up).

...and you didn't visit me?

Can your husband bring me a pint of pistachio ice cream to eat while I read? We were gone when the Schwans guy came this week, so I am ice cream-less!

Can't wait to hear the rest!

 

[BrerMama]

...and you didn't visit me?

Can your husband bring me a pint of pistachio ice cream to eat while I read? We were gone when the Schwans guy came this week, so I am ice cream-less!

Oh Miss Poly Princess, you should PM me. We should talk. I'm going to Branson again in late July, we should meet up! My husband is surprising me with a trip for my birthday, just the two of us. I have no idea that he's doing it. I didn't make the reservations or anything. I just think it's so romantic of him to surprise me with this trip.

As for the ice cream, heck, I haven't had any good lately. And it would probably melt before we got to MO, but I'd be willing to try if it meant we could drive down the strip in Branson...

 

[disney or bust]

I am thoroughly enjoying your pre trip report!! You have a great sense of humor. Keep up the great work---I can't wait to read more!!

 

[BrerMama]

Thanks for reading along, Disney or Bust! More soon!

 

[BrerMama]

Dateline: January 15, 2007

One day after Ches's 7th birthday. Time to update ye old trip report.

Only two real items of interest have taken place in the last two weeks.

Last week I was at work, and checking my email, as I do when I get a moment between classes. Had a little out-of-the-blue email from our travel agent. Seems Disney released a small special discount -- free park hopping and water parks and more -- for those with MYW packages during our time frame. Score! Saved us $600! So now we're looking at having saved $2100 over our original budget. I'm thinking Mr. Potato Head might even get a wife this trip.

I almost forgot... started the big countdown chain yesterday. I just wanted to do 100 days, but Dan had an itch to go ahead and start it. So we did. Spent half the day printing the links out just the way I wanted them. Knowing that they'll only get ripped off and go in the trash. I'm a freak.

 

[BrerMama]

Dateline: January 30, 2007

OK, so a few days ago, I'm sitting in front of my computer, where I often sit, checking my email, which I often check. My sister sent me an email. She does that sometimes.

This was an important email, though. Her family is going to Disney! Even better, they're going at the same time as us.
Well, not really the entire trip with us, because we're practically moving in for 2 weeks, but they'll be there for about a third of our trip. And I'm so excited to share Disney with them.

Let me introduce you to my sister's family:

Sisser, age 34. High school guidance counselor. Hasn't been to Disney since she was in high school and visited with the marching band. We were best friends growing up. The last time we went together was when we were 11 and 14 (I'm older), and we have some good memories of that. In particular, I have memories of my sister wearing a Goofy hat everywhere during that trip. Wonder if she'll do it again?

DBiL, age 36. DBiL used to cook for a living and enjoys food and exotic flavors. When my family went to Disney in 04, I came home to tell him all about the different and wonderful food at Disney. I figured that was the way to get this man to the World. And he's getting much better about being on time. But he does tend to wander. Love that about him, I'm just saying that his touring style probably will not mesh well with mine. If you haven't figured it out, I'm a bit driven. A bit purposeful. This whole experience is going to be interesting for both of his. Pretty sure this is his first trip to WDW, but not certain.

rincess: Princess Liv, age 5: This little girl adores my kids. She adores Princesses. She loves High School Musical. She loves being the center of attention. She loves a lot of things. Definitely first trip to WDW.

Princess Em, age 10 1/2 months during the trip. I love taking kids to Disney just before they start walking. Both Tater and Ches went at this age. They were just joys, and I know Em's going to be a joy. She is very laid back and easy going. Kinda like her dad, but still small enough I could pick her up and move her along if necessary.

So my sis and fam will be arriving 2 days after us, and staying for 4 full days, then heading home.

Of course, super planner that I am, I made our ADRs 60 days ago. For my family of 5. Based on our preferences. At the time, I knew there was a possibility they might join us. Hoped they would, but made my plan based on what I knew our family would enjoy.

Then I get the big email from Sis, and immediately call Disney dining and change all but 5 of our 14 ADRs. On the fly. With no planning. While I'm sitting there on the phone. I spent months --- MONTHS -- planning these things originally. Conveniently scheduled a doctor's appointment so that I would be home on my 180 day so I could make ADRs (but I really did have a sinus infection... could have gone to the dr. sooner, but chose to go on my 180 day mark so I could be home to make ADRS.... that's called using time wisely, right?).

Then 2 months later, I go and make ADRs on the spur of the moment, while I'm talking to a nice older Disney CM named Lois.

(I'm lying. I have no idea what her name was. She was nice, and sounded older. That's all I know.)

We're still doing all the same places. I just messed with the order. Had to move 1900 Park Fare to a night when the sis/fam will be there. I want to see Princess Liv's face when Prince Charming walks out. Messed with some of our other ADRs to make more time to spend with The Sissers. Just messed with some of them for the heck of it.

Typed up our list of parks and ADRs for my sister, and in typing it out, realized that I now had the perfect spot to do lunch, rather than dinner, at Le Cellier. Couldn't fit it in earlier, but I moved a breakfast, giving us room for a lunch. I just think that's a better fit for our family.

Now I didn't really change my ADRs for my sister. In fact, her family is only eating three meals with us -- their tastes are different than ours and I didn't want anyone to feel compelled to eat as a group just because we'll all be there at the same time. We've been to Disney 3 times in the last 7 years. This is their first trip. I want them to have the trip they want, without too much influence from me. I want to guide, give advice, but I want them to walk away saying, "this was our trip." I don't want them to say, "Man, this would have been a great trip if not for Kim and her DisneyRunner of power."

What I did was change my ADRs for the better. I really, really like our current ADR schedule. It's got good spacing of character meals throughout the trip. Good spacing for early morning breakfasts. Restaurants that really appeal to my family.

And hey, today we filed our taxes. With our refund, we'll be able to pay off this trip. How great is that?

P.S. My sister and her family are not really smilies. I am just too lazy to edit photos to the appropriate size for posting on the web this morning. However, I do promise real photos of actual people during my actual trip report.

 

[oybolshoi]

P.S. My sister and her family are not really smilies. I am just too lazy to edit photos to the appropriate size for posting on the web this morning. However, I do promise real photos of actual people during my actual trip report.

I love it when people do stuff like this in their TRs...cracks me up every time. Although I confess, based on the smilie you used, I am now waiting to see a picture of your brother-in-law leaning against a lamp post, dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, with his hair slicked back and the black shades on. Call me goofy, which I am, but that icon always makes me think of the T-Birds from Grease.

OK, it's obvious that I need coffee...

Thanks for the update - I'm happy to know your sister and her family will be able to spend some time at the world with you!

 

[BrerMama]

Although I confess, based on the smilie you used, I am now waiting to see a picture of your brother-in-law leaning against a lamp post, dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, with his hair slicked back and the black shades on. Call me goofy, which I am, but that icon always makes me think of the T-Birds from Grease.

OK, it's obvious that I need coffee...

I'll try for the lamp post, and shades, but that's all I can promise. I don't think I have any photos of my BIL right now... unless it's from his wedding six years ago. He's a fairly laid back, cool dude, though.

 

[slk537]

Hi Kim - I'm signing up for the ride! Sounds like you have a fantastic trip planned. It's so cool your extended family will be there for part of it!

DH, DS and I had breakfast at POFQ once and we were so impressed by how beautiful the resorts both were. Excellent choice!

 

[BrerMama]

Hi Kim - I'm signing up for the ride! Sounds like you have a fantastic trip planned.

I've been reading your report, too! I bet you're so excited right now! Enjoy your time off from work; you have a great trip planned!

 

[BrerMama]

Dateline: February 12, 2007

Time to pop in for my biweekly update.

So my sister is definitely going to Disney! She paid for airline tickets, so I know it's true.

And she's getting addicted.

You know what I'm saying. She's a total Disney newbie. Has not been as an adult. If you're reading this, you know how all-consuming planning a Disney trip can be.

First step, I had to get her started making those ADRs. And before you can make ADRs, you've really got to decide which park you're visiting on which day. Lucky for her, she's got a sister that is an uber planner. I was able to give her our schedule with some suggestions of how she can customize our plan for her family. It looks like she'll be spending part of each day with us, but we only had to change 3 ADRs.

Yes, only 3. We'll all be dining together at 50s Prime Time. And won't that be a hoot? We'll also be together at 1900 Park Fare and Donald's Breakfastosaurus.

My brother-in-law says that he's going to need an hour to mentally prepare himself to ride the thrill rides. I say his hour is from 8 am to 9 am. Once that rope drops, he'd better be prepared. I'm planning to buy Bill a drink or two if he survives this trip with me. We just could not be more opposite. Should be interesting.

Other than my sister making her ADRs, not much going on here. I discovered that Disney is having EMH hours for the water parks this summer, so I moved our Ohana breakfast off our water park day and to our last morning as a late breakfast/early brunch. Which meant I had to drop The Plaza from our ADR list, which I'd been wanting to try. Want to eat with Stitch more, though.

Oh gosh, what else? Well, I bought a bunch of shorts this weekend. It's like 21 degrees outside, without the wind chill and we've still got snow on the ground. But there I am at Wal-mart, buying shorts. Cuz I am an experienced Wal-mart shopper. They put out their knit shorts this weekend. I knew that if I wanted those shorts in the colors my kids would wear, I needed to put them in my cart posthaste. So I grabbed up 4 pairs for each child and ponied up the money. Seriously, you see something you want at Wal-mart, you buy it. Even if they won't be wearing that article of clothing for 4 months. It's there now and that's all that matters.

In addition to the shorts for the kids, I managed to get in a fight with my husband about the capris I wanted for myself. The man just cannot understand why I don't want to wear shorts while we're at Disney. Dude, I stopped wearing shorts 10 years ago. Why can he not understand that many women over the age of 30 no longer wear shorts in public? And that although I have lost a bunch of weight in the last year, I'm still not comfortable with my thighs. If I can add three inches of fabric and call them capris, all the better for me.

It's been a busy 2 weeks for our family. We've spent the last 2 Saturday nights in hotels -- one for my brother-in-law's wedding, and another for Dan's awards weekend. Both had double beds and we managed to sleep comfortably in both, so I feel like Riverside won't be so much of a challenge. Slept better at the Hilton than the Holiday Inn, but that was due to the delicious feather bed and the 500 thread count sheets rather than bed size.

 

[NUguyinCrew]

Sounds great so far, can't wait for more. We're staying at POR in Sept so I'll be interested in your take on it and if anything has changed signifigantly since your '04 trip. Last time I was there was '95 so and I loved it then, I just hope it hasnt changed too much since then.

 

[BrerMama]

Last time I was there was '95 so and I loved it then, I just hope it hasnt changed too much since then.

I'll give a more than detailed report for ya then! I love your signature quote!

 

[Kewz1]

Just finished reading your pre-trip journal and loved it! Looking forward to hearing how it all goes!

Are you by any chance a KSU fan?

Kristen

 

[BrerMama]

Are you by any chance a KSU fan?

Kristen

I always say that with as much money as I paid K-State over 3 years for me and 2 years for dh, that I'll be a K-State fan for life!

 

[BrerMama]

Dateline: February 19, 2007

I didn’t plan to update this report any more often than every two weeks, but there are exciting developments on the planning front.

Grandma’s going!

Last night, my mom bought plane tickets to join us at Disney. She’ll be on the same flight as my sister and leaving the same day (or maybe a day earlier... I haven’t actually talked to her).

So I have to introduce yet another new character:

Grammy, age 61. Gosh, is that right? OK, yeah it is (I used a calculator to double check. Hey, I teach kindergarten. 2 digit addition in my head is not a strength). My mom is a physician’s assistant and likes to be busy. Here's a picture so you can see that she looks nothing like Grimace: (If you haven't read Oybolshoi's Argle Bargle trip report yet, you should.)

However, when I was in my late adolescence, my sister and I did call her Pat a lot:

[My mom is probably reading this. She's probably going to kill me for that. I bet she doesn't even buy me any Mickey ears during the trip. I'll make the kids beg her... that one always works.]

She’s married to my dad, but he’s staying home to water the lawn. Really. They just did some major landscaping of their yard and my dad is staying home to supervise the new grass. And to watch my dog. And because he went with my family in 2000, and now it’s my mom’s turn.

But back to Grammy... she’s a lot of fun. She hasn’t been to Disney since 84, although she has been to Orlando (can you believe anyone would go to Orlando and NOT visit a theme park... my mom did). She likes to read and watch Lifetime movies. I like her.

So I think the gang is all here now. I put my sister in charge of changing any ADRs that may be affected by the addition of my mom, since she’s going to have to call and change all of hers to include Grammy anyway. And I told her that if we can’t get the ADRs we want with a person added, we can always just show up at the restaurant and explain that we now have an extra person. I don’t think we’ll have a problem. It’s not like Em is going to eat that much anyway. I’ll hold her on my lap.

Oh, by the way, as I’m typing this, today is our 99 day mark. Double digits, bay-bee! To celebrate, I gave the kids Guest of Honor badges this morning. Brady put his on his lanyard (he’s a pin collector... not a trader, but a collector), and the girls have theirs on key rings on the backpacks they’re using for the trip (which we conveniently gave them for Valentine’s Day). For lunch, we went out to eat (just sandwiches) and then to the mall. We hit the Disney store, where Tater, Kiah and I all got new shirts, and Ches got a small stuffed Stitch. As we’re leaving the mall parking lot Dan realizes that I got a shirt. Apparently he didn’t know that was allowed. Ya snooze, ya lose, dude.

 

[Kewz1]

I always say that with as much money as I paid K-State over 3 years for me and 2 years for dh, that I'll be a K-State fan for life!

LOL! Class of 2000 here. Although I'm older than that date might make it appear. I was a "non-traditional student." I think that is PC for old.

Loved your latest installment! My mom always joins us (as does my sis) and Dad stays home too. Not much of a Disney fan, that one. But he's been in the family too long to get rid of him now!

Congats on the double digits!!

 

[jenr812]

Hi Kim! Our POR dates overlap! Hopefully we'll bump into each other...well not really - I'd hate to spill your mug full of Diet Coke! But if I see you, I'll wave I'm loving your TR so far. Sounds like you and I have a lot in common and would get along famously I'm looking forward to more!