Haven't been since 2008. Did I miss anything? (Pre-tripping)

[poeticdiabetic]

First of all, this is my very first pre-trip report. I am doing this because my DW is a new member of Disboards (She's the Scrapbook Sista! Sounds like a superhero, doesn't it?). She is all about photography, scrapbooking, and other things visual. The one thing that she doesn't want to do is actually write something.

So this is where I come in. I'm in sales, ministry (no, it's not the same thing ) and poetry. So she have enlisted me as the person to write a trip report so she can save it and copy it into our personal Disboards scrapbook.

(Our Family, 2010-Cruise. They boys looks the same, except they are both taller than me.)

So here are the vital statistics of our future trip:
Date of Trip: 5/29-6/2
Family Size: 4 (Two boys)
Hotel: All-Star Movies
Dining Plan: Standard DDP
Ages of Children: 12 and soon-to-be 14.
First Disney Trip: 2006
Number of previous trips to WDW: 3 previous trips (2006-2008)
Transportation Option: Driving from the Atlanta area
Theme Park Touring Style: 3-Star Elite Commando Unit
EMH Preference: Evening
Spending Style: Frugal
General Vacation Demeanor: We have fun. That's what we do on vacation.
New Things to Discover this trip: All-New TS restaurants.

Notes: My eldest son will actually be going to WDW to play in the orchestra for 3 days- returning exactly one month before our trip. Plus, the last time they were at WDW, my sons were 8 and 9 years old. Since then, they have been to US/IOA and two cruises (first one was aboard the Disney Wonder.) We are a little nervous about them being at this age, going to Disney. They love cruising! When we went on a cruise back in September, we went swimming in an underground river, explored some ruins, went to an aquarium in Mexico and had other adventures. Plus, they partied. And partied. And partied on that boat.

Challenge for the Magic of Disney: Will the Disney Magic be able to sweep them away like before? Will they leave the parks, wanting more and more? Or will they walk away feeling... too... old... for... Disney?

Stay Tuned for the answers of these questions and many others in the next few episodes! Same Mouse Time... Same Mouse Channel!!!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Ok, 84 days out and... no real sign of life! What's really different about this trip is that they aren't really talking about it. My DW is preparing to scrapbook the trip, though. She's getting all her dies, papers, punches, etc together. She's creating her own papers, cut-outs, and other things. But that's what she does... she's the Scrapbook Sista...

Me? I took a job where my biggest, most important client is right here in the city! They are the purpose of my joining! So why am I traveling all over God's Green creation on business every week?

See, business trips are business trips to me. They remind me of holding seminars right in the middle of Magic Kingdom. And you're in a business suit. That's a BUSINESS meeting!

The weird thing is that I'm going to two cities in two days. And I'll be at the airport- waiting until I can go on a vacation.

But the kids? They are super-cool. They act like they can care less. But inside, they know they need to get away. All kids needs vacations, right? They get just as stressed out as adults, maybe even more!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Ok, Ok, Ok... plenty of things happened since I've last made a post. Plus, I would like to tell you the differences between THIS vacation and the others.

First of all, my oldest son just came back from WDW with the school orchestra Sunday. He enjoyed it, but he did some things that he shouldn't have. Like, not eating- for one. Another is staying up late and getting up early. (He's an athlete who is in love with sleeping. I mean, he sleeps, eats, plays basketball, workout, eat, sleep, play basketball, workout, eat... So going without food for him is like going without air for us!

So here's my immediate concern: He rode rides with his crazy friends. He rode rides with girlfriends. Now he gets the extreme pleasure of riding rides with Mom and Dad.

Oh, and here's another one: We've been to WDW for 3 years in a row before, but this time all of the TS restaurants that we've selected, we've NEVER been! I hope that we will like them.

And lastly, we are doing this whole thing as a road trip. See, normally I would drive all night long and reach the resort around 7-ish. The wife and kids are normally sleep and I'm driving, eating sunflower seeds (not just something to eat, but also something to DO!), and solving the world's problems in my mind. The only time I pull over is for gas and my own personal pit stop (gotta drain the Coke products!)

This time? We're leaving at 6AM and doing the "Road Trip" thang. The idea comes from National Lampoon's Vacation. We'll stop over to get breakfast somewhere at a Waffle House. We'll probably shop at the Walmart in Valdosta. We'll probably stop over to Gainesville FL and boo the Gator Nation. Plus, I think we're going to Michaels. (My wife is a Scrapbooker-for-Hire and is now teaching Scrapbooking. Plus, she's coming out with her own product line. So Michaels is like Church to her sometimes.)

After that, we're going to head into Orlando, head to the Days Inn that we've gotten for $28 for the night, put our stuff in and head to Downtown Disney. For dinner- we're eating the very best pizza in the whole wide world... Giordano's. Real Chicago-Style Deep dish pizza. It's so heavy and so full of cheese that you would have to break out a knife and fork to eat it. I mean, you have to cut the cheese strands because it's too much CHEESE!

Then, a good night's rest and head to ASM early for our fantastic, fun-time, theme-park Extravaganza!!! My inner "Clark Griswold" will be unleashed!!!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Ok, 23 days and counting... feeling a little skiddish. I'm starting to re-think the whole "Day-Trip" concept because I absolutely love the solitude of driving in the dark with very little cars on the highway. I can play my mood music and whisk away.

I mean, if I hear one "Are We There Yet?" I may break out in laughter and comment on how my family is so cliche. Or I may play funky '80s music to put me in the mood of going to Wallyworld! I mean, I am hauling the tribe in the Family Truckster!

But I did get some insight on the changes in WDW from my eldest son. He informed me of some rides that I refused to ride because they were so lame. Like "People Mover." He told me that it's sort of like an elevator that goes slowly up and around. But because I've never rode it, I think I may have to try it.

Oh, and I have never ridden Dumbo. But now that my kids are teenagers, I have this compelling desire to ride it. Perhaps it's some passive attempt at keeping my kids little; all while my oldest son is rambling through his smartphone, trying to see which girl he's going to ask to the 8th Grade Dance. My mother warned me that one day, your kids are trying to land the middle table at Chuck E Cheese and the next day the kids get off the couch to announce that they found an apartment.

So this vacation to WDW is a mark of something. Our next trip is to Cancun, where they have a Teen Club. And after that, we'll be on a cruise, where they have a Teen Club. See, my boys favorite thing to do on vacations is to dance with girls and hang out with other teenagers.

So this is my last hurrah of playing with my boys the way I did when they were just a little past my waist. I am actually praying that the" Disney Magic" really does something magical and let me see them as little boys just one more time.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

So we're just a little over two weeks until it's time to head down the highway and we are getting a little restless. Since we have a serious vacation routine, it's getting weird to wake up on a Saturday, due for a vacation; smell the late Spring air and not be at Enterprise Rent-A-Car at 9AM to pick up the rental car.

We know that we have two weeks until we perform that ritual, but we do wax nostalgic when we pass the rental place on a Saturday in May, of when we enter into the local Walmart (because that's where we pick up those last-minute items on Saturday afternoon before our early morning trip), or even when we go home (and not see our house buzzing with clothes washing and bags packing.) C'mon, two weeks! Fly by!

For the past week or so, our entire family has been the most unproductive of almost any time of the year. We are in serious "Vacation" mode. We normally are high energy and we can accomplish more things before 9AM than what most people can accomplish all day. But now, I must confess that I am cutting corners. I wake up at 4AM only to turn over and wait until 6AM to get up. I am doing the minimum at work. My "to-do" lists aren't getting done. I wake up thinking "Oh, I need a vacation."

Everyone is tired of school. My eldest son came back from WDW with his orchestra and he's officially done with school. My youngest son comes home and is slow to go to Jiu Jitsu practice (and this kid LOVES fighting!) And my wife's also tired of school (because she makes sure everything gets done.) And I'm tired of work.

We need a vacation! The last vacation we had was in September! Let's go!