8/28/2009 Packing Day!
Yes, once again, the Hicks are on the move!
Two years in the making, the Hicks had decided to head back to WDW,
in search of free food and fun.
The cast of characters has been outlined above, so review at your convenience.
One character that is new since that posting is Baby Girl Hick
who is scheduled to make her appearance in January!
[We didnt know the gender before the trip,
which would have been nice,
as I would have bought her something girly.
I guess well make it up to her in the future when she goes with us!]
Were very excited about this new arrival,
but her timing made for some difficulty in our planning.
We originally were going to WDW the end of Sept.,
but I felt it would be better to go at 4 months pregnant vs. 5 mo. Pregnant.
That was a GOOD decision (but more on that later)!
The only complication is that Bionic SIL had to change her flight
on AIR TRAN, which she had booked through Expedia.
As many of you know, this is a pain in the rear.
She did manage to change it, but only after paying a $189 fee.
Remember this, it becomes important later.
The airlines seem to take great pleasure in nickel and diming you to death.
She already had had to pay a fee to check luggage,
as well as to SIT BY HER OWN KIDS.
That really aggravates me!!!
[Remember that also, because it gets worse!]
They also can change things at any time,
like her non-stop flight that she paid for suddenly became a
switch flights in Atlanta with only ½ hour to do it! YIKES!
But, she was kind to me
and didnt make a big deal out of all the hassle she had to go through
due to my unexpected change of plans.
Bionic SIL made plans to drive to the airport Saturday night
and stay at the hotel there, so as to best access her early morning flight.
Mom arrived at our house the afternoon before,
amazingly ready to take on a two day trek in a 15 passenger van with 7 kids,
a daughter and a son in law.
Many snacks were brought by said Mom,
and I encouraged her NOT to bring them all along.
Last time we hauled too many snacks along,
only to haul most of them back again. Sigh.
We loaded up the van, and made plans to leave at 4:30 am the next morning.
Laid out clothes, and shoes, so they could just slip them on.
The previous trip we had had some motion sickness incidents,
and I felt it was due to not eating a decent breakfast,
so I packed some sunbutter sandwiches (we have peanut allergies.)
I would have been in bed earlier, but I had laundry still undone,
due to having to take one kid to soccer practice that evening.
Laundry finally done, I headed off to bed.
Due to Baby Girl, I have been having some insomnia problems,
but I did manage to sleep a little.
9/29/09 - Woke up before the alarm,
and started getting ready as loudly as possible so as to wake the others up.
Mom was up, but we had to rouse the kids.
Luckily, WDW is a good incentive to get out of bed an such an insane hour.
We really like getting started early,
as it gets us some miles under our belts before traffic picks up,
and gets us through Indy before rush hour.
And, to Chattanooga in time for an early dinner and bed time.
We made really good time that day!
[For which there would be major Cosmic payback.
Because the space/time continuum is a fickle
.well you get the idea.]
And now for your viewing enjoyment, a few pics of our first day
[DisneyGirl will be the official photog for this trip]:
John (Can't smile, making time):
DisneyGirl:
The Chef:
DangerBoy:
The Inquisitor and Princess K:
Bitsy:
BabyCakes:
Out of the Windows (Louisville, Nashville, and Chattanooga):
At the Hotel (Comfort Inn and Suites, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga):
I participate in an online points program (Mypoints.com)
and had earned enough points to get $75 of gift cards for Cracker Barrel,
so our free dining started early!
We really like the Cracker Barrel at Lookout Mtn.,
so if you're in the area, stop by!
We managed to get to bed a decent hour,
and looked forward to getting to Disney the next day!
Next up: The Magic Disney Road
. Wonderful news about the new little 
Got any names in mind yet?
CONGRATS!!!! Great pic and can't wait to hear all about it!
but it worked 
