"Honey are you awake?" "Mumble Mumble" - 6/17

[thewesterberg]

I was just sitting at the computer, checking my e-mail when I heard the doorbell ring. Who could it be???

Hmmm... is it going to be the 3 mystery kids that I've never seen before that stopped by last night asking for some pop?


Or will it be the neighbor girl wanting to play with Junior?


Or will it be someone selling magazine subscriptions to fund their way to Timbucktoo?


Or will it be the neighbor bringing our dog back because she spoils him rotten and rewards him for sneaking out of our backyard by bringing him into her house and petting him and giving him snacks? Nope, he's in the house and DH finally figured out how he was sneaking out and blocked it off.


Who could it be?

Opening Door....



Well, hello Mr. Friendly Substitute Mailman!



With a piece of registered mail.

IT'S OUR DISNEY TICKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!



​

Talk about an awesome present on this Double Digit Dance Day!

I nearly kissed that mailman. (Don't worry honey, I didn't!)

Honestly, I didn't think they were going to be delivered today because I had heard him come up the front stairs and then leave without having me sign for anything. About 10 minutes later he came back. Way to mess with my mind!

I told him I was happy he brought me this. He said he likes delivering things that make people happy. I whispered... it's our Disney tickets, a surprise for our little Junior!

He smiled and then nodded to someone behind me. That sneaky little Junior... Thankfully he didn't hear me!

It's a good day.

 

[janjandis]

Hi! Just catching up on your pre-trippie. Welcome Mr. thewesterberg, there's no turning back now! I did the same thing with my Northwest airfare, ended up grabbing 189.00, Last year it was 99.00, but I doubt if we'll see that this ear.

 

[stagemomx3]

Congrats on the good mail day!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Disney Mail! It's the best!

 

[thewesterberg]

Hi! Just catching up on your pre-trippie. Welcome Mr. thewesterberg, there's no turning back now! I did the same thing with my Northwest airfare, ended up grabbing 189.00, Last year it was 99.00, but I doubt if we'll see that this ear.

Thanks for welcoming DH! It's fun to have his input around here!

$99??!?! That's awesome! $189 is pretty good too. Hearing all those discount SouthWest prices makes me jealous since they don't fly up here. I have this bad habit of going back to NWA and seeing if it drops anymore. So far it's gone up and then back down to the price we paid, so I'm feeling pretty good!

Congrats on the good mail day!

Disney Mail! It's the best!

I know!!! Any Disney mail is good mail!! Even when the little bill comes letting you know your balance, I'm still happy! When those Magical Express tags show up, the whole neighborhood is likely to hear me squealing with delight!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

I don't want to rain on your parade - but your dates look like you are going in late Aug - early Sept??? Wil there be Jedi Training academy's going on then? I thought they were only during Star Wars week-ends which are usually in June. I could be wrong....it's happened before.....more than once but I thought I'd mention it so there wouldn't be too much disappointment if they aren't taking place when you get there.

 

[Charleston Princess]

The Jedi Academy is year-round now.

 

[mom3sonstt]

It's year-round now?? Cool! Wow - I didn't know they did that. We didn't see any taking place last fall when we were there, but then, my kids are too old to participate so maybe I just didn't notice.

 

[thewesterberg]

Today's a day I've been looking forward to for quite some time...

The new Indiana Jones movie will be playing in a theater near me and I'm going to be there, in that theater, tonight!!

I remember my first Indiana Jones movie experience in a theater - it was with a friend named Amy, who invited me to go with her. It was one of the first times I ever went alone to a movie with a friend, with no parent. This had to be around 5th grade?? We got there late, the movie had started, and we had to sit in the very front row. And I remember the floor being filthy. Not just your normal gross movie floor, but really disgusting. Why this memory is stuck in my head, I don't know. I even remember the exact scene that was playing when we got there.

Tonight's show will be with a bunch of friends. Actually we all work as youth directors for churches in our area and we all were at a conference out in Anaheim this past February. Since our hotel was only a mile from Disneyland, where do you think I roped everyone into going?? One gal and I spent all day Friday there (before the workshops started so we weren't skipping!) and then when things got done on Saturday (okay, we skipped one session that day!), 2 different friends were going to go with me. Well the friend that went on Friday with me decided it wouldn't be fair to send in odd number into the parks for rides and everything, so she decided to "take one for the team" and come for another day!

We had a blast. I've enjoyed sharing the experience with our son last September, but it's so different going with friends. No whining or begging. Or if they do, you can just walk away and not worry about being reported to the authorities! One friend had never been to any sort of Disney park. Ever. How cool was it to introduce her to everything! One of the others was actually going with her DH and DKids to WDW about a week after we got back so she was feeling pretty fortunate to get to both parks within the same month! Lucky duck.

Why all this and Indiana Jones? I do have a point. Really, I do.

One of our favorite rides at DL was the Indiana Jones ride. I so wish they had this at WDW. When we got off it, we decided that when the new movie came out, we'd all have to see it together as sort of a tribute to our awesome Disneyland day. The pact was sealed over a Pineapple Dole Whip. That's gotta be better than a pinky swear.

So today's the day! And we're all able to make it, even the friend that lives an hour and a half away! Because I'm always planning, I took on organizing this little gathering.

Here's THE Plan:

Thursday AM - Board a flight to Anaheim.

Arrive in Anaheim, drive to DL and ride Indiana Jones, drive back to airport.

Board flight back to Minnesota.

Thursday 5pm - meet for dinner in Canal Park.

Thursday 6:45pm - Watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Well... since I'm sitting in my office during my lunch typing this, you can guess part of the plan didn't materialize. Something about the whole flying to California sounded good, but not logical. Whatever.

Doesn't hurt to try!!

There's also an additional motive for going to the movie tonight. Our Junior's official birthday is tomorrow and there's nothing more that he would like to do than to see this movie. However, we've got to do some investigating to make sure it's okay for him to see. So going to see it tonight is part of my parental duties. Ya Gotta Do Watcha Gotta Do!

But, I should get down to the theater to buy our tickets so we don't have to wait in line tonight.

Can't wait!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, I am so right there with you -- as soon as I get off work, I am buying tickets for tonight. I have been doing the happy dance all day long for Indy 4.

 

[thewesterberg]

It's year-round now?? Cool! Wow - I didn't know they did that. We didn't see any taking place last fall when we were there, but then, my kids are too old to participate so maybe I just didn't notice.

I think they started it late last fall. We were there Sept 14-21 last year and it wasn't going on. We had some friends that went in April and they went to every show one day, trying to get both of the kids a chance. The girl got in the first show, but it was her brother that really wanted to be in it. Finally, the last show of the day they picked him! It was cool seeing the video. We realize that the chances are slim, but it would be neat!

 

[thewesterberg]

Oh, I am so right there with you -- as soon as I get off work, I am buying tickets for tonight. I have been doing the happy dance all day long for Indy 4.

Have fun tonight!!

I went and got the tickets. Well, sort of got the tickets. I bought for the 3 Disney gals and one husband that's coming with. As for DH and I, we're using those Dr Pepper/Kmart things (Buy 4 - 2liters Dr. Peppers and KMart, get $7 off your ticket to the movie.) I went down there yesterday and the assistant manager had problems trying to sell me the tickets. She figured that maybe they couldn't be used until the day the movie was released. Okay. So I went back today. It was her and the manager trying to figure this thing out. No dice. So the manager sent me on my way with the other 4 tickets and told me to ask for him when I came back tonight. He said he'd either have it all figured out and have my tickets or he'd just get us in. I then let it slip that I have 3 more of these at home I'm planning on using Friday!

(Guess what's in my coffee mug while I type this... DR PEPPER. Figure it out - 5 free tickets x 4 bottles a ticket = 20 - 2 liters of Dr Pepper!! We used some of them for Junior's birthday party, but I have a feeling come the end of the summer I'm never going to want Dr. Pepper again!)

 

[thewesterberg]

I'm exhausted tonight. Completely. Wiped. Out.

We worked on siding our garage today. I've never sided anything before, but now I can add this skill to my resume! Did you know that when you drive the nails in to the vinyl siding, you're suppose to leave about a dime's width of space so there's room for it to move and expand? Me, being the smarty pants, told my DH and DDad that I didn't have a dime, but did have 10 pennies... would that work?? I thought if I acted incompetent that maybe they'd let me out of the work... Yeah, that didn't happen.

Before we got going this morning, I hopped on the phone with Disney Dining. Hadn't done that for awhile and I missed them!

We thought about shifting a couple of times - we had good times, but thought if a couple of them were a little earlier it would make things easier. The one was our night at O'hana... we thought if we were able to move our time up to around 5pm, then Junior could go to the Neverland Club to spend a few hours so DH and I could head into the park and hit Space Mountain, BTMRR, and Splash (rides that Junior probably won't want to go on) and we could make it back to the Poly to pick Junior up and watch the fireworks at the beach. Well, there was nothing until like mid-night (okay, okay, 8:45pm maybe??). The other ADR we were looking to bump up was for breakfast and it was a no-go too. No biggie. We just hadn't messed with things for awhile and I was feeling bored!

After I hung up, DH and I re-grouped and evaluated the plan. We really wanted to have Junior do something extra this trip to give us grown-ups a couple of hours to bum around together. All the pirate cruises didn't work with our schedule no matter how many times I looked at the schedule. And by the time we got done at O'hana, it was going to be too late to buzz back to MK, do some rides, go back to the Poly and watch the fireworks together as a family on our last night. It didn't feel right to ditch the little guy on our last night in the World and see Wishes without him.

THEN DH's lightbulb went off ...

How about our first day at the MK Junior goes to the Club? (Why didn't I think of that??) We have no ADRs that night as we're eating at the Crystal Palace for lunch. We could drop him off at 6pm, hit some rides using FP's collected earlier, grab some CS for dinner (Junior would get supper at the Club), and we could make it back in time to watch the fireworks from the beach (and maybe the electrical water pageant too!)


So back to the phone I went to chat with Disney Dining, since it had only been, what? 5 minutes?? Answered the questions, gave 'em the credit card number, and got the confirmation number


Junior is now signed up for an evening at the Club!


I think he'll love it. And I know the two of us will enjoy a couple of hours to hit some of our favorite rides.

(Side note... my "luck" has continued by not being wished a magical day. Both conversations only netted me a "have a nice day". Maybe that's why I had "issues" with the hammer today... Right, blame Disney for my hammer operating errors. Yes, error is plural. I hit my thumb numerous times. I also learned to make sure there's nothing on the top of the ladder (say, a hammer left there by your husband) before you move said ladder. I felt like the mole in Whack-a-Mole when that bugger landed on my head.)

Since I'm barely functioning (could it be lack of sleep, the physical activity of the day, or that I have a slight concussion from a hammer landing on my head????) I think I'm going to collapse into bed, with instructions for my DH to make sure to wake me on a regular schedule to make sure I'm still conscious. Because I know we'll be back out there siding again tomorrow when the sun comes up!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm all caught up on your Pre-TR again, slowly but surely catching up on all my subscriptions. LOVE the Pirate party! How creative, I bet the kids had a blast.

And woo-hoo for some adult time at WDW!

I also learned to make sure there's nothing on the top of the ladder (say, a hammer left there by your husband) before you move said ladder. I felt like the mole in Whack-a-Mole when that bugger landed on my head.)

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwie!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you are OK!

 

[froglover2]

Loving your PTR we will be at POP at the same time!!!
I have my ADR's I think they are going to be okay got everything that we wanted some of the times are a little off but we'll deal????
Not sure what days to do what though??

 

[thewesterberg]

I'm all caught up on your Pre-TR again, slowly but surely catching up on all my subscriptions.

You almost need a vacation after your vacation to catch up!

LOVE the Pirate party! How creative, I bet the kids had a blast.

Thanks! They seemed to have a good time - they were laughing, having fun, and they got along!

And woo-hoo for some adult time at WDW!

I can't wait for it! Last year we were fortunate to get to see Wishes, just the two of us, when my parents took care of him one evening. It was wonderful!

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwie!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you are OK!

It may (or may not) have knocked some sense into me!

Loving your PTR we will be at POP at the same time!!!
I have my ADR's I think they are going to be okay got everything that we wanted some of the times are a little off but we'll deal????
Not sure what days to do what though??

Thanks for stopping by my PTR! Don't be a stranger!

Maybe we'll see you around the Hippy Dippy Pool! How many days is your trip? Aren't ADRs fun to figure out and play with?!? I found Tour Guide Mike to be very helpful in figuring out our park days, otherwise I know I would over-analyze that too! Helps me keep my sanity!

 

[brookelizabeth]

It may (or may not) have knocked some sense into me!

 

[princessjv]

I just stumbled upon this PTR and thought I'd drop you a hello from one MN mom to another. It was great reading your PTR. I love how you told your dh. We also had a pirate party for my ds. It was a huge hit! I look forward to more posts. Happy planning!

 

[thewesterberg]

I just stumbled upon this PTR and thought I'd drop you a hello from one MN mom to another. It was great reading your PTR. I love how you told your dh. We also had a pirate party for my ds. It was a huge hit! I look forward to more posts. Happy planning!

Hello and welcome to my PTR! Nice to hear from a fellow Minnesotan! "You guys" are awesome!

I'm going to have to get back into the swing of things here - life has been a tad busy with work stuff - it's the middle of VBS this week, have kids from church going to camp in a couple of weeks, and then I'll be bringing a group to Kansas City for a mission trip - I'm very much looking forward to all these things, but also the 4th of July which means my busy work-related time of the summer will be done!

 

[thewesterberg]

It has been awhile. What have I been up to?

Well, the last couple of days coming to grips with entering a new decade. I'm 30.

No, let me say that with more confidence and pride... I'm 30!
So far, so good!! Except that my dear son told me the other day that I was getting old. Gee. Thanks.

DH took me car shopping on Saturday for my birthday down in Minneapolis. Grandpa and Grandma took the little guy. A whole day of just grown up time. YEA!!

We spent hours driving around, looking at cars. More of a selection down in the BIG city. Or so we thought. (Remember that) We thought we were going to go with a Jeep Patriot. Until we got in one and drove it a bit. Decided it wasn't the right car for us. Our car shopping is first determined by what DH fits in. He's 6'5" and is a bigger guy. That rules our A LOT of the super fuel efficient vehicles. Plus Junior is growing like a weed and I'd rather all this limbs be contained IN the vehicle instead of hanging out. (For example he grew at least an inch since April. Forget saving for college, I think the food bill is more of a priority these days as that's all he wants to do.)

Sitting in the same row as the Patriot, was a Chevy Equinox, something we looked at awhile back after I had a rental for a conference out in Anaheim. For some reason we moved away from that car and had thought maybe an '09 Subaru Forester, but it's pushing how much we'd like to pay.

We sat in the Equinox again and thought maybe this was the route we should go. So we proceeded to hit every dealership we could find, searching for the perfect Equinox. Either they had too many miles, were all scratched and stained up inside, or the salesmen were too "used-car-salesmanny", and our quest was starting to loose steam. Soon it was 6pm and the dealers were closed. The only way we'd be going home with a car at that point would be to hot wire one and we didn't think that would probably be the best idea.

But I had an idea

We're in Minneapolis, by Bloomington, which means the Mall of America, which has a Disney store...

"Honey, since it's my birthday and you didn't buy me a new car today, could we go to the Disney Store?" <insert batting of eye lashes and guilt>

He fell for it hook, line, and sinker. So off to the Mall we went. We made a few purchases and got in on the $5 t-shirts for our trip...

(side note before you see the pics... we needed a new camera. We found one we liked at Walmart, but then found it WAY cheaper at Circuit City and we ordered it for pick up the next time we went to Minneapolis, where there closest store is. It's a Kodak Z712, a model from last year. It's got lots of fun features and has the ability to be tinkered with when it comes to settings. Not quite a Digital SLR, but more than a point-n-shoot. Plus it came with a free Epson printer that we'll sell, so the thing will cost us about $60 in the end. I felt pretty happy with that deal! -- Why am I tell you this? Well, it's my PTR and I can do that if I want to, but it's what I used to take the pictures with. I'm loving it so far! Here's a picture I took of one of sister's flowers while I was experimenting with it...

)

So without further ado, our purchases...

A Goofy and Mickey we'll use in surprising our son with the trip. We're thinking maybe one of the wake-up phone calls from Mickey that you can purchase along with a note from Goofy, inviting Junior for a ride on Goofy's Barnstormer, the ride he keeps talking about wanting to go on again.

Here are the t-shirts... Junior and I will have matching ones and they didn't have them for guys so he got the Grumpy one instead. Not that it says anything about his personality.... LY/MI, honey!

And my special birthday purchase...

a Mickey headband! I'm wearing it right now and love it!

So the day wasn't a total bust. We tried going to a favorite neighborhood pizza place, but there wasn't a parking spot to be found and the line was out the door. Too bad. Instead we went to Bucca di Beppo for dinner. It was so yummy.

By this point it was late and it was time to get on the road for our 3 hour drive north. We encountered nasty weather along the way. I had fallen asleep (which in case if you were worried, I wasn't driving at that point!) and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why DH was driving like such a psycho. Oh, flashing lightening, crazy wind, and rain... that makes sense. It was after 11:30pm when we got home.

Remember how I said that we thought there'd be more choices down in the Cities for cars? Here's where that came to bit us in the butt... Before going to bed, I check a local dealership. That has the exact car we want. Brand new. At a used price. About $6000 off. Go figure, that we drove south 3 hours while our perfect vehicle was sitting 5 miles away. To our credit we weren't looking for this vehicle when we started our journey. But we're off to the car dealership tonight.

On a non-car note, there's other happy birthday news... I think my MIL is getting me the Wishes CD for my birthday. So I can get my "fix" until we get to see it in person. Hmmmmm.... maybe on the 4th of July I'll have it playing and I can hook up a zip line off the roof of the house to the garage to pretend I'm Tink. What do ya think?!

Oh, and on that music note... I've been craving not only Wishes music but music from the attractions. I'm trying to curb the spending since this new vehicle is in our future. On a whim I checked the library and they had the Disney Happiest Celebration On Earth CD. On our way home we cranked up the Space Mountain music... the next best thing to being there!

Okay, I've got to get supper on the table so we can go look at this car.