Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! It's Off to Celebrate We Go!--LAST UPDATE!!! PG 62 ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

[jenjolt]

YAY for a PTR I'm so excited for your family MM!! I'm here for the ride and can't wait to hear more!!!! Bring on those lists!

 

[lmillercrew]

Jen!!!! You're back! I've seen you post on other threads, but I look forward to reading about your new plans and adventures!!! So good to see you and Megan again! (not really "see", but you know what I mean )

 

[IluvXU]

Page two in less than six hours... I am late!

 

[The Marsons]

I'm in and looking forward to reading more!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Subscribing! Found your link on Tim and Lesley's thread.

 

[ILuvCrush]

Hi MM!!
I'm here and accounted for!



Paula

 

[TarzansKat]

A brush with greatness, my goodness.

By comparing tickers it doesn't look hopeful unless you have a very LONG trip planned. Time will tell.

And your posts.

Which I anxiously await.

 

[timandlesley]

I'm here GREAT start, can't wait for more!
Lesley

 

[julezdisney]

Shameful- I'm on page 2!! OTTV!

Bad gnomie am I!

HOWEVER, it's nice to have faces to the names now! I'm on board!

But uh... WHEN? WHERE? WILL WE MEET?!

 

[MegansMom]

Yay!!!!!!!! You are going to Disney. I am so glad I am along ofr the ride. Looking forward to all of it!

WELCOME ABOARD!!! I am so glad you made it!

Joining in!

Megan is adorable!

Can't wait to read all about your plans!

Thanks for joining....here at our house, we TOTALLY agree about Megan's adorableness.....but then again, we are not the most neutral people out there now are we!??!?!?!!

Yay! So excited that your trip finally worked out! Still love Megs and her Minnie dress! Can't wait to hear about your resort, ADR's and everything else!!

We are so excited too about the trip!!! I can't wait to tell you the tale about telling Miss Megan!!! It was SWEET! The Minnie Dress is actually getting a little short on her....AWWWW SO SAD....but that just means that Mommy is going to have to find a new one in her size! The details are on their way!

YAY for a PTR I'm so excited for your family MM!! I'm here for the ride and can't wait to hear more!!!! Bring on those lists!

I'm so glad you made it Jen!!! The lists will be coming soon.....you should see how I am beginning to compile them already!!!!!

Jen!!!! You're back! I've seen you post on other threads, but I look forward to reading about your new plans and adventures!!! So good to see you and Megan again! (not really "see", but you know what I mean )

HEY SWEET LADY!!!! I am SO glad you found me!!! I have been DYING to start this thing up for so long......I am so glad it finally became official!

Page two in less than six hours... I am late!

There is no such thing as lateness in PTR world!!! I am so glad you found me! Jackie is going to be so upset when she gets back and sees how far along it is.....

I'm in and looking forward to reading more!

Welcome to the fun!!! I am so glad you hopped over here!

Subscribing! Found your link on Tim and Lesley's thread.

YEAH!!! Welcome, welcome, WELCOME!!!! Thanks for hopping on over....I am so glad to have you!

Hi MM!!
I'm here and accounted for!



Paula

YEAH.....Now I can check Paula off of my list!!!!

A brush with greatness, my goodness.

By comparing tickers it doesn't look hopeful unless you have a very LONG trip planned. Time will tell.

And your posts.

Which I anxiously await.

You know I humbly bow to your Royal TR---ness.......I hope my little old attempt at a PTR/TR is worthy of your reading!!! All shall be revealed shortly.....can we keep the hope alive?!?!?!?!?!?!

I'm here GREAT start, can't wait for more!
Lesley

YEAH LESLEY!!!!! I am so glad you found me!!!! Thanks for the flower!! Here's a great big hug coming right back at you---

Shameful- I'm on page 2!! OTTV!

Bad gnomie am I!

HOWEVER, it's nice to have faces to the names now! I'm on board!

But uh... WHEN? WHERE? WILL WE MEET?!

There is no shame....don't hang your head for one second!!! I am just so glad you are here---especially since our trips will overlap!!!!

 

[TarzansKat]

You know I humbly bow to your Royal TR---ness.......I hope my little old attempt at a PTR/TR is worthy of your reading!!! All shall be revealed shortly.....can we keep the hope alive?!?!?!?!?!?!

Oh, good lord, woman, I'm not that good.

I'm just a .

Can't wait to read more!

 

[micandminforever]

I look forward to another great trip report. I enjoyed your last wonderful report and pictures. My DH and I also plan a trip to Disney World in Sept.

My husbands family reunion outside of Florence Ky. is in Aug., so we will be able to see your beautiful area this summer.

 

[MeMom]

Thanks for the invitation to read along. Since school starts in August, I will probably never get a September trip. October is the soonest we get a break. So, I'll be happy to see lots of pictures and read about much Disney fun in September!

 

[moparop]

Woo hoo!! I needed another trip report to read. Thanks for starting one for me Jen! I love reading about elem age students and their Disney experiences as we are just approaching that now. Looking forward to hearing all the details of the trip!

 

[lmillercrew]

Hi MM!!
I'm here and accounted for!



Paula

From the look of your tickers, you have a lot of Disney trips coming up!! Good for you Paula!

 

[Jennifer48]

Followed you over from LL's TR. Joining in on all this fun!!

 

[MegansMom]

Oh, good lord, woman, I'm not that good.

I'm just a .

Can't wait to read more!

Um TK, yes....you....are!!!! More coming right up!!!

I look forward to another great trip report. I enjoyed your last wonderful report and pictures. My DH and I also plan a trip to Disney World in Sept.

My husbands family reunion outside of Florence Ky. is in Aug., so we will be able to see your beautiful area this summer.

I am so glad you came back!!!! I wonder if our September trips will overlap?!?!?!?!?! I can NOT believe the reunion is near Florence.......THAT IS WHERE I GREW UP!!!!! My parents STILL live in Florence!!!! I live right outside of it now in Hebron---the city the Cincinnati airport is in----yes, that is right....when you fly into Cincinnati, Ohio, you are actually landing in Hebron, Kentucky!!!! Messes people up ALL the time!!! WHAT A 'SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL!!!'

Thanks for the invitation to read along. Since school starts in August, I will probably never get a September trip. October is the soonest we get a break. So, I'll be happy to see lots of pictures and read about much Disney fun in September!

You are ALWAYS on the guest list for my PTRs.....I always need your expert MeMom advice!!! Please feel free to live vicariously through my September adventures, as I live through all your wonderful travels to see the Mouse!

Woo hoo!! I needed another trip report to read. Thanks for starting one for me Jen! I love reading about elem age students and their Disney experiences as we are just approaching that now. Looking forward to hearing all the details of the trip!

YEAH!!! I am so glad you jumped over here!!! Not only did I plan this PTR just so you would have something to read, I booked an entire trip to WDW just so said PTR could occur....it is the little things I do for my peeps, you know!?!?!?!?!

From the look of your tickers, you have a lot of Disney trips coming up!! Good for you Paula!

Paula is one lucky gal!!!

Followed you over from LL's TR. Joining in on all this fun!!

I am so glad you ventured over here!!! Another Jennifer to be a kindred spirit to!!! WELCOME!

Okay gang----I'm off to go type up a BIG update!!! Get the popcorn ready!!!

 

[pooh'smate]

 

[UGAFan0829]

Hi, Jen! I just wanted to stop in and say hello! I found my way here via timandlesley's report, so I hope you don't mind if I follow along. I'm very excited to hear all about your plans! My DH and I will also be in the World in September. (My Pre-TR link is in my siggie if you care to take a look.) It's always cool to see what others have planned who are going around the same time!

 

[MegansMom]

Well, I'm here to divulge some details.....FINALLY!!!!!

BUT FIRST.......you all need a little history of this trip to fully understand why I am so DARN excited it is FINALLY OFFICIAL!!!

It all started a year ago while we were in the world with my family for a Grand Gathering. It was a fabulous trip for all 10 of us......and even though we ALL were there together, there were splendid little moments when Tom, Megs, and I found ourselves alone---just the three of us! And in these moments of family bliss, I could see it....I could see it in Tom's eyes that he was yearning...yearning for another trip just the three of us...just him and his girls....just like our first one together in September 2006. AHHHHHHHH.....that TRIP!!! It was SO wonderful, SO magical, SO memorable that one night while playing 'The Newlywed Game' at a party at a friend's house, we both completely surprised each other when we said THAT was our favorite vacation ever....even beating out our marvelous, romantical, amazing Honeymoon!!!

Many of you already know about that wonderful trip, but for those of you just tuning in, I will just say that the six days we spent at WDW that year, were easily the best six days of our lives together so far. EVERYTHING was amazing....EVERYTHING was perfect!!! It was right before the kickoff of the Year of a Million Dreams, and even though it had not officially started, we received 6 dreams come true in that one trip alone!!! There is so much about that trip that was uber-emotional too. It was our first vacation JUST THE THREE OF US...just our little family unit...and it was SO special!!! It was right before Megs turned three---which was a PIVOTAL moment in her development. For those of you who don't know, I developed HELLP syndrome and almost died when I was 30 weeks pregnant, and they had to emergently deliver Megan almost 10 weeks prematurely. Born too small and too soon, Megan struggled to stay alive and thrive as a young baby. We dealt with long hospital stays, six months of being homebound once she came home, and many complications that affected her development, motor skills, and sensory processing. The first three years of her life were spent going from one doctor to the other, countless hospital visits, and too many hours of physical and occupational therapy to count. That trip was so significant because it marked a huge milestone for her and for us...her therapy has continued even through to today, but she had graduated from one level of treatment at that point. I know there were so many times during that trip that Tom and I were so over-emotional because in the backs of our minds, we knew that it could have just as easily never have happened---she could have easily not made it through all that she endured...but our little fighter did!!! For a child who suffers from being over-sensitive to almost every type of sensory input, we knew that she could have easily hated it...hated the overwhelming sensation of the crowds, the noises, the unusual smells, etc. BUT SHE DIDN'T!!!! We still don't understand, but this magical place is one of the ONLY places in the world where we have seen and experienced our normally very over-cautious daughter let go, relax, and enjoy every single second!!! IT is without a doubt, HER HAPPY PLACE!!! We were so relieved! We were so grateful for that first trip--for those precious moments of just the three of us! Here are just a few shots from that trip......

I don't have too many of these left in my web album, but that is just a little sampling---the top is a picture of Megs watching 'Wishes' for the first time, then Dad and Megs getting ready for Philharmagic for the first time, and finally her reaction seeing Mickey and Minnie for the first time........all priceless memories!!!

Okay, so you can see why Tom had that look of yearning...we wanted to taste a piece of that magic again. Yes, we had been on two trips since that trip--one in November 2007 with his parents and then the June 2008 trip with my family, but neither of those trips could compare. So shortly after returning from our June 2008 trip, questions would start popping up into our conversations from time to time about going back again just the three of us. All throughout the fall of 2008, we would examine times to go back..."What about Thanksgiving again? Maybe the second week in December???" AND we even got so far and SO close that one Saturday afternoon---armed with some type of discount (I think a fall Free Dining promo)---we even went so far as to call, to speak to a lovely Disney CM, to select days for a trip, to choose a resort (CSR) at which to stay, and as that lovely CM started totaling everything up and informing us that we would need to pay the balance in full that day because we were so close to our arrival date, that wonderful accountant hubby of mine panicked....and we cancelled it all out, and very unfortunately hung up the phone!!! We had the money, but I think the reality of it all, the swiftness of our booking and decisions freaked him out a bit. He's an accountant, so naturally his calculating mind and his knowledge of the economy took over and shut down the impracticality of our spur of the moment trip idea. And it never got rebooked again.......the fall and winter passed, and no more talk of the trip.....until February or so. Then the doldrums of winter got us thinking of warmer things...exciting things...Disney things, and the talk was on again!!! This time though, the talk was ALL over the place...we can't vacation at all January through April due to his job, but then we started thinking about a May trip, or possibly a June trip, or maybe even a return in September!!! It was MADNESS!!! We would weigh out the pros and cons of each time of the year. And the 4/3 deal only complicated our decision-making abilities. AND THEN on top of that, we received a coveted 40% off PINCODE!!!!! BOTH OF US!!!! Our heads were spinning out of control.....my OCD planning gene had me creating spreadsheet after spreadsheet comparing everything---all the discounts (including a possible Free Dining offer in September), renting DVC points once again like we had for the previous three trips, and every possible scenario you could imagine!!! I was gathering all this info together for my Honey to analyze and dissect to come to a decision.......................and then.........................................NOTHING!!!! The deadlines for all the discounts---even the pincode---came and went without a single reservation made..... Things were getting stressful at Tom's work...he knew another round of layoffs were going to be happening, and even though he knew he would be safe from those layoffs, he was worried about how that might add to his workload and responsibilities. He also had heard rumors of pay cuts and loss of vacation time, so he was skeptical about making any significant plans for us. So, very regretfully, very quietly, I closed up my notebook, put away my spreadsheets, and decided that it just was NOT going to happen. Not this year.

And then some time passed....the school year drew to a close for Megan and we got to celebrate her Preschool graduation!!! We also started talking about another dream of ours---selling our current home and building/buying our dream home. So I became quite busy with getting the house market-ready and beginning to look at new homes. This helped erase the sadness of NOT having a trip in the works.....quite honestly, it made me start to think that maybe we should forget about a September trip, and just focus on moving first---thinking that we could save the trip for once that all transpired......I know, shocking isn't it?!?!?!?!

And then, something happened......Tom came home from work one day and said that there was not going to be any adjustments made to his salary or benefits....that the layoffs were over, and he felt that he would be okay for a while, and that what he really needed after the long months of year-end close, was a really GREAT vacation!!! He then said those wonderful words..."Let's get out your Disney Notebook and look at those figures again!" I was SO excited!!! I knew we couldn't use our pincode or the 4/3 deal, but we still had the promise of Free Dining or DVC......and he felt that even with everything else going on, we could definitely afford it! So the plotting began.....when would we go??? Where would we stay??? Would we do Free Dining or DVC this time?!?!?!?!?!?!?


I think I will pull a Ryan Seacrest and make you wait until "After the Break"---aka the next update!!!!!
































NAH....I'll just tell you NOW!!!!

When would we go???

This actually took us quite a long time to decide---but I am not going to get into THAT long story!!! We knew we couldn't go the first 8 days of the month due to his responsibilities at work, and we also had to work around the 18th, 19th, and 20th because I am committed to being part of a Ladies' Renewal Weekend at my church. Our possible days were becoming VERY slim---our calendar looked like a jigsaw puzzle!!! But after much hard negotiating, we agreed to leave on September 20th in the afternoon after my retreat ends. We will be driving down once again for two reasons: to save a little cash for our moving plans, and because Tom's motion sickness really gets the best of him after air flights. We will drive most of the day and probably stop just shy of 3-4 hours from Disney. Then we will get up bright and early on the 21st, make the final leg of the drive, and check-in early at our resort. This brings us to when we would be leaving...it got a little tricky. Our precious Megan will be celebrating her 6th birthday on September 29th, and we were hoping to be able to be at WDW, but Tom needs to be back at work on the 30th, and we did NOT want to spend her birthday in the car! So we will be leaving at some point in the afternoon on the 28th...heading home to celebrate our Princess's birthday with family and friends here on her birthday! Giving us 8 days and seven nights of magical Disney fun!!! YEAH!

Where would we stay????

The all-too-important question at times, eh??? Let me just give you a little insight into all the behind-the-scenes action of deciding on a resort.

We started out looking into staying at our dream resort....WILDERNESS LODGE!!! Let's all say our collective "AAAAAHHHHHHS" right now!!! But then we became a bit nostalgic, probably due to our yearning to recreate the magic of our first trip......so then we decided we would rent DVC points again to stay at BWV---we loved that resort and our stay there, and thought why mess with perfection?????? Until I started seeing reviews and pictures of AKV, and my yearnings made me say in my best Liz Lemon from 30 Rock impression, "I want to go there!" It wasn't too hard to convince Tom because it would actually be cheaper---$$$$ is the key to that man's heart!!! So we were convinced..............for awhile. Then we started thinking that maybe it would be cheaper to book Free Dining at CSR (another favorite of ours), and hey, who doesn't want to eat for free?!?!?!?!?!??! So THAT was IT!!!! We would be booking Free Dining at CSR......DONE!!!!


NOT QUITE.......then Tom started to really analyze the numbers and decided that why not just stay at a value this time around???? We are hardly in our room, we really just want to go to be there, and the extra money we would save could go once again towards our new home. It was a hard decision to make---we have never stayed at a value, and I was concerned that it would be a hard transition for us---Tom and Megan don't do well on overly crowded buses for their own reasons. (Tom gets motion sickness and Megs gets overwhelmed by all the people). BUT, we thought why not just try it, and if it is TOO bad once we are there, maybe we could just switch to another resort then. I had done MUCH reviewing and discussing with DISers on here about the values, and decided Pop would be our best bet. So I go to make the call on Sunday, and wouldn't you know it, they are ALL BOOKED UP!!! What to do?!!??!?!?! I quickly jumped to my back up value choice and requested a Toy Story room at ASMovies. AND THAT MY DEARS, is where we are staying...............for now.........I will warn you.........there has already been MUCH resort stress............I may be changing this..............I don't know........AAACCCCKKKKKK!!!!!

Would we do Free Dining or DVC???

I think you already know the answer to this mystery......FREE DINING BABY!!!!!! Tom is SO excited about eating for an entire week without having to pay for it----again the accountant in him speaking!!!! Oh HOW that man loves a bargain!!!!


So that is the scoop for now......a long and windy update, but hopefully it is enough to keep you full for a little bit........I have so much more to share with you already!!!! UP NEXT: Let me tell you all about ALL the CELEBRATIONS that will be going on when we are partying with the MOUSE!!!! Come back soon gang!!!