Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog! LINK TO TRIP REPORT!!!

[KatMark]

Tina, I LOVE the Christmas ornaments. I think I got one or two Lady and the Tramp ornaments at the Christmas Store at Downtown Disney about two years ago (I remember having them shipped home). I stopped at the Disney Store last week and got Mark a Dumbo ornament for the tree.

Yea for Max getting excited walking into the Disney Store. He's going to be super excited when you get to Disney.

And I'm happy your mom is going to join you for a few days -- that is great.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Have been a bit out of sync with the boards but now I am all caught up! Your weekend picking apples looked like a lot of fun! I love apple picking, although I haven't been in a long time. But fall is my favorite time of year! Wasn't that weekend just gorgeous? Must have been some of the best weather in the northeast all year!

The ornaments are really cute! I wish we had room for a tree...but we just don't!

That is great news that Granny can come out for a few days! And plus on her birthday...and at Cali Grill!! WOW, she's gonna have a wonderful time!

I think you'll be happy with either Jiko or Boma! I think Jiko makes sense since you DO have the DxDP so I would take full advantage of it!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

That's awesome that your mom is joining you!

 

[tinacaplan]

Tina, I LOVE the Christmas ornaments. I think I got one or two Lady and the Tramp ornaments at the Christmas Store at Downtown Disney about two years ago (I remember having them shipped home). I stopped at the Disney Store last week and got Mark a Dumbo ornament for the tree.

Yea for Max getting excited walking into the Disney Store. He's going to be super excited when you get to Disney.

And I'm happy your mom is going to join you for a few days -- that is great.

Thanks, Kathy...I'm sure I'm years behind some of you when it comes to Disney-themed Christmas decor, but it was like a revelation to me when I saw all of it at the store. Seriously considering going down to check out the new store in Times Square.

And, yeah, its pretty cool that my mom decided to do it!

Have been a bit out of sync with the boards but now I am all caught up! Your weekend picking apples looked like a lot of fun! I love apple picking, although I haven't been in a long time. But fall is my favorite time of year! Wasn't that weekend just gorgeous? Must have been some of the best weather in the northeast all year!

The ornaments are really cute! I wish we had room for a tree...but we just don't!

That is great news that Granny can come out for a few days! And plus on her birthday...and at Cali Grill!! WOW, she's gonna have a wonderful time!

I think you'll be happy with either Jiko or Boma! I think Jiko makes sense since you DO have the DxDP so I would take full advantage of it!

Thanks, but not to worry...I've been MIA for awhile, too. Work just gets overwhelming sometimes and I can waste a lot of time on here, so sometimes I know I'll be better off staying away completely. And, yes, I think my mom will have a wonderful time. I finally cancelled Boma tonight after reading another bad review of their dinner from people who seem to have good taste, so, its Jiko for us!

That's awesome that your mom is joining you!

Thank you, I'm really excited...and, of course, this means more planning!

 

[annmarieda]

Very cool that your mom is going! Despite all my ups and downs...I would not trade my trip with my mom for anything!

 

[tinacaplan]

My mom and dad came over tonight for Halloween (and I am a very bad mom for not having made sure the camera was ready to take pictures, it wasn't, and there aren't any ) and before the festivities began, I made the call for her and made her reservation! I had no problem linking hers to ours, so hopefully we'll get rooms near each other (in Cabanas 8A!).

I just wanted to take a moment and share a few thoughts about my mom. To start with, my parents live about ten minutes away and have been amazingly helpful (my entire life, really) since I had Max. I don't know how Mark and I would do it if they weren't right there and pick up a fair amount of slack. There's nothing like having someone to take care of your son and a member of the family, to boot! I've had ups and downs with my parents, as everyone has, but they have always been there for me for whatever I've needed, my entire life.

It is not an overstatement or a cliche for me to say that my mom is one of my best friends. We talk almost everyday and I run almost every decision past her before I act on things. It isn't perfect, but we are very close. Had she said she thought this Disney trip was a very bad idea for us right now, I probably wouldn't have gone.

That said, she has spent her life putting up with my dad, and that's putting it nicely. He has always been difficult and they have not had a great marriage. His health has deteriorated since he retired about five years ago. As we said again tonight, though, it isn't my dad's heart or mobility problems that keep him from doing things like making the trip to Disney, its his overall psychological outlook. He can't stand the thought of being on a plane and doesn't deal well with large crowds. Taken all together, my parents don't do much anymore. My mom, for her part, is still an active, youthful woman who would quite happily travel and really enjoy her life now.

But...she often feels guilty about leaving my dad at home. Why, I don't know. And I finally said this to her a couple of weeks ago. There were just too many times throughout her life when my father did not even consider her feelings at all for her to feel even a little bit guilty about wanting to get out there and enjoy life. And then she said she was coming to Disney!!!!

I was pretty stunned. She had talked about doing it and leaving my dad home for a few days, but I assumed she wouldn't ever actually do it....but she did! And I'm so super proud of her. Our trip is going to be even more magical and special.

And we'll be there in less than four months!

Halloween was nice. Max was a cheeseburger. Again, I forgot to charge the camera and we have not pictures. He looked cute and this was the first time he really understood what was going on, which was fun to watch. It just makes me even more excited for our trip! And I know that its going to be Thanksgiving before I know it...then Christmas...

and then our trip!!!!​

/COLOR]

 

[KatMark]

Great news, Tina. Glad to hear that mom has made it official.

 

[annmarieda]

Yay, for your mom going! Sadly, as you were describing your dad...and how your mom seems to miss out because of him...I couldn't help but relate a bit. My dh (while only 41) hates to go places..his health isn't great. I find myself not doing anything or doing stuff without him.

 

[tinacaplan]

Great news, Tina. Glad to hear that mom has made it official.

Thanks, Kathy. It was pretty set when she bought her plane tickets last week...but you know...until you have that reservation in hand, nothing is set in stone.

Yay, for your mom going! Sadly, as you were describing your dad...and how your mom seems to miss out because of him...I couldn't help but relate a bit. My dh (while only 41) hates to go places..his health isn't great. I find myself not doing anything or doing stuff without him.

Sorry to hear about your husband. In all honesty, while my dad certainly has issues, he has done nothing to make them better. He still smokes, for example, which I wouldn't judge him for were it not for his heart condition. I just wish he had a better out look, but he pretty much refuses to find out about ECVs or do anything to make going out and getting around any easier for himself. And he can be pretty miserable about it, too. I just feel for my mom and I should just thank my lucky stars for mine, my husband's, and my son's health.

 

[tinacaplan]

I also wanted to say that I had no problem changing our ADRs to include an extra person. Our new ADRS for the days my mom will be with us are at virtually the same time, so our itinerary has not changed.

I'm just so excited. She is very much looking forward to our day at Animal Kingdom.

 

[KatMark]

I also wanted to say that I had no problem changing our ADRs to include an extra person. Our new ADRS for the days my mom will be with us are at virtually the same time, so our itinerary has not changed.

I'm just so excited. She is very much looking forward to our day at Animal Kingdom.

Excellent news!

 

[tinacaplan]

Excellent news!

Thanks, Kathy!

 

[tinacaplan]

Just in case there was any doubt left in anyone's mind (ok, there was quite a bit left in mine) about my husband's allegiance to Disney, he went out today, completely unprompted by anyone, and bought Toy Story 3 on Blu-Ray. I think this is incredibly funny! He's almost as bad as me. I better watch it, or he'll start posting on the Dis, too! Ok, let me not get too carried away. He still rarely, if ever, posts on Facebook, let alone the Dis, so I'm probably safe here.

 

[annmarieda]

on getting TS3!!!

on still being safe on dis. I have been wanting dh to read my tr. (I haven't really detailed the trip to him so I thought it would be a good way for him to see pictures and context...etc.) I do worry though that he might read a bit more than I would want him to.

 

[KatMark]

Just in case there was any doubt left in anyone's mind (ok, there was quite a bit left in mine) about my husband's allegiance to Disney, he went out today, completely unprompted by anyone, and bought Toy Story 3 on Blu-Ray. I think this is incredibly funny! He's almost as bad as me. I better watch it, or he'll start posting on the Dis, too! Ok, let me not get too carried away. He still rarely, if ever, posts on Facebook, let alone the Dis, so I'm probably safe here.

Way to go Mark!

I don't think you have to worry about the DIS posting (my Mark thinks I am nuts for all that I post here that I don't even give him a chance to get near the computer).

 

[tinacaplan]

Well, its been awhile since I've posted on here (didn't even reply to Kathy....). You can see the cobwebs and the dust, this has been so neglected. It seems that we're at the point where all the real planning is done and it isn't quite time to start getting ready to go yet! I plan on making a countdown calendar for Max, but I'm not going to even roll that out until Christmas.

But...as Karin pointed out on Mickeynicky's dining report, we are at double digits!!! About ninety-five days to be exact!

​

I am truly beginning to see to the light at the end of this tunnel. We've got a week and a half until Thanksgiving, which isn't at my house this year, thank god. We're going to my mom's. Then we start the Christmas parties and shopping and all of those preparations and before you know it, December 24th will be here...then February is right around the corner. Its hard to know sometimes where the time goes. Weeks go by fast, it makes my head spin sometimes. That's why I'm looking forward to the opportunites over the coming months to really take a second and SLOW down for awhile. Its part of what makes our vacations so wonderful, too...a week away always feels longer than regular week for some reason. Maybe it has something to do with my trying to be so fully present in the moment while I'm there.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend....if I have any readers left!

 

[dizneeat]

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend....if I have any readers left!

You definitely do have readers!

As for the weekend - I am getting everything ready to go to Vienna with my class (23 14year olds!!! ) on Monday for the week. I never knew I had so much paperwork prepared AND worksheets for the poor kids!
So, busy weekend here, but the weather is super nice, so at least we got to enjoy that while going shopping today!

Hope to update today or tomorrow!

 

[tinacaplan]

You definitely do have readers!

As for the weekend - I am getting everything ready to go to Vienna with my class (23 14year olds!!! ) on Monday for the week. I never knew I had so much paperwork prepared AND worksheets for the poor kids!
So, busy weekend here, but the weather is super nice, so at least we got to enjoy that while going shopping today!

Hope to update today or tomorrow!

Have fun with your class. We took our eighth graders (they're around fourteen, as well) to Atlanta for a week last year. So much fun, but sooo exhausting! And I was in charge of all the paperwork, too, so I completely understand where you're at.

 

[KatMark]

I'm still here...even if you didn't respond to me.

You are getting closer and there is always that little lull in between planning and "planning."

Why not post some pics from last year's trip?

 

[tinacaplan]

I'm still here...even if you didn't respond to me.

You are getting closer and there is always that little lull in between planning and "planning."

Why not post some pics from last year's trip?

Yeah, sorry about that! I think I actually went more than forty-eight hours this week without logging on! Crazy. I've been busy, as we all are.

You know, its a funny thing about pictures from last year... I took some decent ones of the food... but I am not the greatest photographer. I tend to take a million pictures one day and the none the next. I have a lot of pictures of some things and none of others. Hopefully, I will be more consistent this year. I'm sure I'll take a ton more because I'll want to take so many of Max.

Also, can I ask how Photopass works? I know there are the photographers all over the place at Disneyworld and they take your picture... do you sign up in advance? They send you a CD with all your pictures on it? Is it super expensive?

Thanks!