Hooray for Hollywood!....Literally!

[mickeystoontown]

First off, I am so sorry that you fell and hurt your ankle just a week before the trip. Second, my family would have done the same thing....laughed their butts off at me falling. It's a running joke in our family that I am a clutz and we all laugh at one another when we get hurt. Every.single.time.

 

[Woth2982]

Oh no you poor thing! That bruise looks ugly, I am sorry it is still hurting. I once slipped on some black ice while I was bringing pizza into my parents house, I was in a huge "puddle" so every time I tried to get up I slipped. I called my dad to come help me, my leg was all scraped and my elbow and forearm bruised, he walks out and says "I can't believe you dropped my pizza!" Gee thanks dad, so I feel your pain with your family laughing at you. Some bruises take a while to heal, in October I walked into a pool chair and still have a bruise on my shin. I am glad the pain subsided a bit though, but if it is still bothering you I would definitely call an ortho. You could have done something to the tendon.

 

[bcwife76]

I wondered how you were getting along!! I'm sorry to hear that it's still causing you some pain and discomfort

 

[jenseib]

First off, I am so sorry that you fell and hurt your ankle just a week before the trip. Second, my family would have done the same thing....laughed their butts off at me falling. It's a running joke in our family that I am a clutz and we all laugh at one another when we get hurt. Every.single.time.

Yep..we laugh at everything...but if I laugh at them...I get in trouble!

Oh no you poor thing! That bruise looks ugly, I am sorry it is still hurting. I once slipped on some black ice while I was bringing pizza into my parents house, I was in a huge "puddle" so every time I tried to get up I slipped. I called my dad to come help me, my leg was all scraped and my elbow and forearm bruised, he walks out and says "I can't believe you dropped my pizza!" Gee thanks dad, so I feel your pain with your family laughing at you. Some bruises take a while to heal, in October I walked into a pool chair and still have a bruise on my shin. I am glad the pain subsided a bit though, but if it is still bothering you I would definitely call an ortho. You could have done something to the tendon.

I am pretty sure I did something to the tendons and I read they can take a couple of months to heal. It's so annoying though.

I wondered how you were getting along!! I'm sorry to hear that it's still causing you some pain and discomfort

It still hurts on and off but I manage. It's just more annoying than anything though.

 

[jenseib]

Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 4 days to go


So today President Trump grounded the Max 8 planes, which was a wise decision. However, our connecting flight in Chicago to LAX was scheduled on….you guessed it….a Max 8!


Contacting Southwest when a crisis is going on is not good. I don’t blame them in any way really. They had a canned response and I am sure they were scrambling, but it was so frustrating.

Basically I was allowed to change my flight with no penalties or wait and see if they changed the aircraft. We looked and either everything was sold out, or it would put us in LA VERY late, which I didn’t want to do. We would lose a whole park day.


I did find one that would work from Columbus (we had planned to go out of Detroit), but it was for Saturday, which meant we would need one more in a hotel. Skip said to wait till Friday before making the plunge…..so I did.


Luckily on Friday when I checked my flight it now showed a different aircraft and I breathed a sigh of relief that we didn’t have to change flights, airports and plans.

 

[mom2rtk]

Skip never disappoints, does he? And Skip with a smart phone? Yep, he definitely knows everything now!

Too funny that Skip was ready to cancel over your ankle. Of course he was. That picture looks bad though! I"m glad you didn't let it stop you. It's just crazy how many obstacles get thrown your way for these trips!

 

[dizneeat]

OMG! So sorry you took that fall, Jen. Your ankle looks bad! Good you made the trip to Urgent Care, at least you knew it was not broken.
But I was LOL when I read that Skip wanted to cancel because of your ankle! It IS very Skip - the way we have heard about him.

And then the whole airplane story! Yikes! I had friends riding on SW the day before they were all grounded and she posted pics of it and told us to take care of her pets if something happened.
It must be so stressful not knowing IF/when you are travelling.

Love it so far! Can't wait to see all your DL and UH pics.

 

[jenseib]

Skip never disappoints, does he? And Skip with a smart phone? Yep, he definitely knows everything now!

It's like he doesn't know me too.
And the phone...something he said he never needed...he is on ALL the time now.

Too funny that Skip was ready to cancel over your ankle. Of course he was. That picture looks bad though! I"m glad you didn't let it stop you. It's just crazy how many obstacles get thrown your way for these trips!

It would have to be pretty bad for me to cancel and he should know that.

OMG! So sorry you took that fall, Jen. Your ankle looks bad! Good you made the trip to Urgent Care, at least you knew it was not broken.

Me too. Definitely not in my plans! But I survived. I need to be more careful before vacation!

But I was LOL when I read that Skip wanted to cancel because of your ankle! It IS very Skip - the way we have heard about him.

Yep! He would have cancelled had it been him for sure.

And then the whole airplane story! Yikes! I had friends riding on SW the day before they were all grounded and she posted pics of it and told us to take care of her pets if something happened.
It must be so stressful not knowing IF/when you are travelling.

it was a nerve racking week!

Love it so far! Can't wait to see all your DL and UH pics.

We did have a good time in the end!

 

[jenseib]

Saturday, March 16, 2019, Final Preparations


We finished our packing today. I was able to keep the suitcases down to a minimum…well for us. The nice thing is we didn’t need dress up clothes, like we do for a cruise, so that eliminated a lot of extra clothes.


I did early bird check in with Southwest and went to print our boarding passes. Claire and I have Global Entry, which includes TSA pre-check. Skip does not, however I was hoping since we were all booked together they would give it to him….and they did! I hope it works that way coming back from LAX too!


We were pretty much ready. We had gone to the circus last night with my family and had a great time. My granddaughter Gracie remembered last year when she went with me and how I let her have pop and cotton candy….something her mom doesn’t allow her to have. Naturally she was expecting pop and cotton again this time. Her mom (my daughter Paige) came with us this time and did allow her to have some, but she was much stricter than me!


Today we just had to run the chinchilla to my sister’s house, where my niece Abby was going to watch him once again. She was excited! As we unpacked everything and gave a run through on directions as a refresher (she watched him when we cruised in Jan too) I realized I forgot to pack the food. Off to the pet store we went to get some food for the week. Luckily they live near one.


I loaded the car that evening and Skip went to bed early. We had to leave the house around 1:30 or so to make our Butt crack of dawn flight. But it would be worth it as we would get into LA very early and still have most of the day to spend in the parks.


I was wired, but set my alarm just in case and laid on the couch to watch TV. Thank goodness I did fall asleep and got a few hours of need Zzzzzzzz’s.

 

[dizneeat]

Prep for the trip sounds a lot like around my house.

 

[lklgoodman]

Hope your ankle feels better soon! 7 weeks seems like too long for it to still be swollen, I'm no doctor though. A few years ago I fell down stairs 3 different times. Sprain an ankle twice. One of the times was on the Fantasy, marble stairs in the atrium. Totally my fault. My dd sat and laughed while 2 other ladies came running over to help. I had just gotten a frap and it went spilling all over me. The 2 ladies were so sweet, helping me, I was so embarrassed. Spent rest of cruise(5 days) on crutches. Only good thing from it was my dh felt bad and said we could go on another cruise to make up for it, he also laughed at me. Next time we went on Fantasy, everytime we went to the atrium they still made fun of me. My dh fell off a ladder several weeks ago and broke his arm, I'm getting pay back!!
The BEST reason to go to the circus/county fair is for cotton candy!! I can eat a whole bag myself, love it!!

 

[mom2rtk]

1:30 AM? That's all I have to say on that!

And too funny that Gracie remembered the pop and candy! You have your hands full with that one!

 

[jenseib]

Prep for the trip sounds a lot like around my house.

All those last minute things you just have to take care of. Skip has been taking care of the chinchilla for most of trips lately, but with him gone, We had to have someone feed it. My niece just loves animals so she has been beyond thrilled to have him come and stay with her and let her care for him. I am sure he gets much better care from her than from Claire! I am usually the one who feeds him because Claire keeps forgetting, even though the cage is right next to her bedroom!

Hope your ankle feels better soon! 7 weeks seems like too long for it to still be swollen, I'm no doctor though.

I have read if you do something major to the tendons it can take months. But I am surprised they didn't have me in a boot or on crutches.

A few years ago I fell down stairs 3 different times. Sprain an ankle twice. One of the times was on the Fantasy, marble stairs in the atrium. Totally my fault. My dd sat and laughed while 2 other ladies came running over to help. I had just gotten a frap and it went spilling all over me. The 2 ladies were so sweet, helping me, I was so embarrassed. Spent rest of cruise(5 days) on crutches. Only good thing from it was my dh felt bad and said we could go on another cruise to make up for it, he also laughed at me. Next time we went on Fantasy, everytime we went to the atrium they still made fun of me. My dh fell off a ladder several weeks ago and broke his arm, I'm getting pay back!!

OMG! How embarrassing and totally something I would do!

I fell off a ladder a couple years ago hanging Christmas lights. Luckily I didn't break anything then either but I hurt my foot then too.

The BEST reason to go to the circus/county fair is for cotton candy!! I can eat a whole bag myself, love it!!

Exactly and other than a few bites from Claire, I ate a whole bag!

 

[jenseib]

1:30 AM? That's all I have to say on that!

And too funny that Gracie remembered the pop and candy! You have your hands full with that one!

Yes..It was so early and I was so wired I wasn't sure I would fall asleep but I was so happy when the alarm went off on my phone and a I realized I did get some sleep.

Gracie is just so hilarious. The things she remembers too. Amazing. If it involves candy, junk food or things she isn't supposed to be doing...she remembers it. Even from a few years ago...and she is only 4!
I mentioned to Paige that I will be wanting to take Gracie with me when I cruise when Claire can't go and Paige said no way was her daughter going on a cruise before her. I told her she might as well give it up and go get her a passport. And Gracie chimed in. "Yes Mom! I am going with Bop Bop, because I LOVE her and it will be fun to go with her!". It was so cute!

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes..It was so early and I was so wired I wasn't sure I would fall asleep but I was so happy when the alarm went off on my phone and a I realized I did get some sleep.

Gracie is just so hilarious. The things she remembers too. Amazing. If it involves candy, junk food or things she isn't supposed to be doing...she remembers it. Even from a few years ago...and she is only 4!
I mentioned to Paige that I will be wanting to take Gracie with me when I cruise when Claire can't go and Paige said no way was her daughter going on a cruise before her. I told her she might as well give it up and go get her a passport. And Gracie chimed in. "Yes Mom! I am going with Bop Bop, because I LOVE her and it will be fun to go with her!". It was so cute!

I know that feeling when you know you have to sleep and you finally do, it's such a relief! I'll be curious to read along and see how you sustained your energy that day.

If your grandchild is remembering you as the fun one, you're doing something right!

 

[jenseib]

I wanted to update, but Claire is sick and I just got her a Dr.s appointment that is in 30 minutes...will be back later.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wanted to update, but Claire is sick and I just got her a Dr.s appointment that is in 30 minutes...will be back later.

I hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[jenseib]

I hope she's feeling better soon.

It's just a cold...but you know...she's dying

 

[jenseib]

I know that feeling when you know you have to sleep and you finally do, it's such a relief! I'll be curious to read along and see how you sustained your energy that day.

I was so happy to get even a few hours. I really didn't expect to get any.

If your grandchild is remembering you as the fun one, you're doing something right!

I think she thinks both her grandma's are fun...because we spoil her to death! I do a lot of "don't tell your mom" and then she immediately tells on herself!

 

[jenseib]

Sunday, March 17, 2019, Off to Disneyland


Finally the day arrived! We awoke super early and brushed our teeth, grabbed all the last minute things and out the door we went…and I drove. Skip isn’t big on driving, especially at night. I hate driving at night too and of course it was so dark and hard to see…but I would get over it!


We set the gps for the parking place I was going to leave the car at. In Columbus, they have some really reasonable onsite parking, but Detroit is like twice as much or more. I found several close, but offsite locations and went with one and prepaid that.


The drive was uneventful for the most part and soon we were pulling into the parking place and checked in, got directions on how to retrieve and waited for the shuttle, which came quickly. We had a few stops and then we were dropped off at the shuttle drop off, which meant we had to take a bridge over to the terminal.


We got in line and there were a few people ahead of us. I thought the line opened at 3:30, but nope, it wasn’t open yet. So then I thought maybe 4, and that time came and went. There were 2 ladies in front of us having a fit! They both kept calling SW’s 800 number and complaining and they told them it was to be open at 3:30, then 4, then 4:15, then 4:30. The one was doing a facebook live video showing people waiting and complaining. I was annoyed it wasn’t open, but what can I do?

The one lady was worried she wouldn’t get through security in time for her flight. I wasn’t worried with TSA precheck but even if I didn’t have it, the lines at security looked to be moving pretty well.


arrival98 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Finally there was a sign of life behind the counter….except he was just for those using the kiosk to check in there and he would take the bags. There was a mad rush over there and it was slow, but people were getting through at least. Still no one at the desk for those of us in line. And we couldn’t really get out of line as where we were we were stuck. It was pretty much impossible for us to maneuver our bags out and over to the a kiosk.


Then someone arrived…then a 2nd person….yay! They helped one person and then 2 people came into the priority line. And had questions….one had to redo her bags. UGH! Then another person…and then someone stroll’s in the door and walks into the priority line. I was getting annoyed now. I knew we had plenty of time, but I was annoyed by how slow this was all going and not enough help. The 2 ladies in front of me were having a major fit…especially the one.


Finally we all got checked in and we made our way to TSA precheck and went through. Skip has hip replacements, so they had him go to the body scanners and Claire and I grabbed his stuff and went off to find a seat. Skip is that guy who jokes with people like TSA and I am always ready for the fact he may be arrested and thrown in jail….and by ready, I mean I will call someone to come get him! Hahaha.


We had plenty of time and used the restrooms and still had time till it was time to line up. We were in the A boarding group, with our number being so that Claire and Skip were the last 2 in the first row and I was first in the 2nd row. Guess who I was standing next to? Yep, the lady who was having a fit and her friend. She had A1 and her friend A2. I asked if she upgraded and she said no, her secretary booked it. And you know what (I didn’t tell her)….She had priority AND TSA pre-check! I guess she doesn’t fly enough to know to look on her pass for that info.


We got settled onto the plane and in our seats. We always all want to sit by the window, so Skip was adamant he got first dibs. Ok, sure, it’s only an hour flight.


Our creepy looking selfie.

arrival99 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The flight was so fast and we had some rough air, so they didn’t serve snacks or drinks, which was fine for such a short flight.


We landed in Chicago and it was like way in the boonies and we had a longggggg walk to the main area. I smelled my favorite popcorn and stopped to get some. Skip said I should wait till we go home and I said I wanted it now….And if no one else wanted it then I would get the small bag….and I wasn’t sharing!


arrival134 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had a couple hours to waste here, so we got some breakfast. The selection here is horrible. I know they used to have a McDonald’s but it’s gone!

I got a Panini and it was OK, but nothing to write home about.


arrival100 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I also got a chocolate muffin, hoping Claire would eat some, but she wouldn’t, so Skip and I shared it.


Skip was already too hot and found his shorts and changed into them.


Now I am going to go off subject a bit.

Skip drives me crazy when I travel with him and I really have to try and bite my tongue and not get too impatient with him.,…but it is HARD!


Now with his new smartphone he watches videos on it all the time. I even brought him earbuds (which he did use on the plane at least), but he will pull up videos…usually of tractor pulling, which are loud…and just plays them in public. We kept telling him that was inappropriate but he kept doing it. And he would get mad when we kept telling him to turn the volume off. He also wanders off and thinks he knows what he is doing and 9 times out of 10 he is wrong and going the wrong way, or doing the wrong thing. It’s like having a toddler.

He was in charge of a backpack and he would forget it…..and one time he dumped it when he picked it up upside down. It had my laptop in it, but thank goodness I had it in a padded sleeve.

He also says inappropriate things too loudly. His whisper is very loud.

I love my husband, but he can drive me bonkers too….and Claire was having a fit too.


So we tried to take calming breathes and get through the travel day!


Time to board! They had to de-ice us before taking off (which I think they did in Detroit too).


arrival135 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Claire got the window seat this time and I went for the middle so I could reach over her and take pictures. We played on our devices, watched movies, dozed a little, but that’s hard for all of us on a plane.

As we got closer I was on the lookout for the Grand Canyon. But all the scenery was pretty.


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We should be getting close now. Claire keep your eyes open! But how will I know what it looks like mom?

Just keep your eyes open for a big hole or crack in the ground! Hahaha.


arrival142 by Jenseib, on Flickr


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OMG! I think that’s the Grand Canyon!


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And then I took a screenshot of where we were to compare once I had data and sure enough it was!


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Ok, my day has been made!


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We are getting close now!


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Claire was getting excited! She has wanted to go to California for so long. She said at school she would constantly say something like, well I am going to California whenever someone would say what they are doing for Spring Break…or any other subject. She said it became a joke and friends would say “Hey Claire, are you going to California?”


We landed and grabbed our carry ons and made a pit stop in the bathroom and then off to get our luggage. From there we headed to the Super shuttle. It worked well and they texted me and then I checked in via the text and they gave me my van number to look for. There were a few people waiting and more came, but our van was the first to arrive and we were the only ones at our stop.


arrival101 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We were the first to be picked up and we stopped off at almost all the other spots and ended up with a full van, but being first, we got to pick our seats first, which was nice.


arrival1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And we were off! I can’t believe I didn’t take pictures along the way, but I think we were going too fast and I wasn’t by the window. We did see Knoxberry Farm off in the distance and Skip asked if it was Universal.


And then we arrived!


arrival152 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Right down the road from the parks! Woohooo!!!!


Now comes the stressful part of any trip….checking in with my husband with us. He has his own set of rules.


We walked in and of course they ask if they can help us with our bags. Skip is about to hand them all over and I say no, we are just checking in. We will wait and see if our room is ready. Skip doesn’t understand they are working for tips and if they help, we tip. I am all for tipping, but I can handle pulling my bags into the lobby.


I checked in and our room wasn’t ready. Skip wanted to lay down (He really does have some medical issues and needs to rest sometimes) but I think he just wanted to rest more from the long day we have already had. The lady said something about a different kind of room with a city view being ready. Skip was getting ready to say yes and I quickly said no. I want the kind of room I booked. There was a reason I booked a king with a sleeper sofa….I don’t want queen beds!


She handed us our packet.


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Which had our tickets and magical extras.


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So I am working on getting things finalized at the desk and Skip has already went to find the guy to take our luggage. Hold it! Wait buddy! It is really hot here and I want to change into shorts.


I had to get my carry on bag back from the luggage guy and I headed off to the bathroom to change. I pulled out our tickets in there and scanned them into my phone too so that I had that done with. I came back out and handed off my bag and then we organized ourselves and headed towards the parks.


It wasn’t very far and we were at the entrance.


arrival2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And then to my surprise it was about the same distance again to get to security.


arrival3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I had never been on this side or used this entrance, so I guess I thought it butted right up to the road.


We went through security and Skip got his extra pat down with his bionic hips setting off alarms and we now have made it to the esplanade!


arrival102 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Claire was so amazed at how close the 2 parks are. I had told them both how easy it was to go back and forth, but I don’t think either really believe me.


arrival103 by Jenseib, on Flickr