I Told You Driving Was Bad For Your Health! *2/2* NEW TRIP REPORT LINK P102

[MEK]

Hooray for being on your way! Hehe I knew how you were going to use Denny's incorrect information to create an advantage. Whatever works!

I had to! Did I really have a choice? Ironically, it was the first time I had actually geared myself up for driving. I was a little disappointed. For about 5 minutes maybe.

Man you guys had a lot going on at one time. Glad things smoothed out. Poor Max!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

It was a busy 6 weeks, but the most stressful thing was Max's diabetes. He is actually do really well right now. Almost all of his blood sugars have been below 200 for the last two weeks and he is on very small doses of insulin.

 

[natebenma]

I'm excited to read about your Disney trip!!! Which you SOOOOO deserve after everything you went through in the preceding months.

Wow-

Denny's cardiac issues

Job change stresses

Brother cancelling out on trip

Graduation festivities
(thanks for sharing the awesome pictures. Your pride shows through! So neat about the personalized pieces of cake).

Poor Max's animal bite! Any idea what got him?

With all this turmoil, I thought I was reading one of eandesmom's PTRs
(j/k- love U Cynthia)


Can't wait for more, but a little scared about landing issues. THAT can't be good for your health, either!

.

 

[chattadisser]

Wow..what a lead up to your trip! I hope you got to relax some on this trip.

I’m all for turning the male thought process into a positive!

I’m curious to see how you liked staying off property and your pros and cons. We are considering staying off property next April and I feel like I’m mentioning a dirty word…off property (shh!).

Christine

 

[Wood Nymph]

Are you officially an empty nester now? We enjoy having the kids grown and out, but I do miss them sometimes.

We are booked on an AirTran flight through SWA for our Dec. trip. Were the people on your flight who had booked through AirTran able to get assigned seats? Or did all of you have unassigned seating?

I'm looking forward to hearing a trip report about an off-site stay.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Clocking in for the new TR addition.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Poor Max, probably got bitten by another cat, those bites usually cause an abcess.

Our flight for September is through SW, I originally was going to book through AirTran, but SW posted a notice as I was getting ready to book. They steered my to the SW site, so flying on SW with free luggage!

I, too would like to know about the seating arrangements. I usually pick my seats 24 hours before flight & wonder if I will have the same access.

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[afwdwfan]

Well, I got a little bit behind here over the past week or so...

I'm glad that overall, the HHI trip went well. It is a shame that you had to go through a health scare with Denny, but it certainly worked out for the best. I can understand his concern about getting back into the swing of things and exercising like before after that experience. I'm sure every little twinge of pain or discomfort set off all kinds of alarms to him.

I remember you talking about Max before you left. Too bad you had to deal with that on top of graduation and everything else leading up to the trip, but it looks like it could have been much worse! I can't wait to see how the WDW off property trip went!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Coming up Next!

I've been used.................as a segway!!!



Wow did you have one busy turnaround between your trips! So glad you were able to get everything settled for Max so you could relax during your trip.

We were seated with a mom whose husband and two boys were sitting in front of us. First trip to Florida. She said they were staying in Daytona but heading to Disney for a day and to Universal for a day. My only advice - get there early!

One Day Tickets for Disney???

Up Next: Is our landing as uneventful as our take-off? Can we find our secret off site location? Will we get to Epcot before park closure? And more importantly, can we pick out a car with a gas cap we can open?

Oh yeah - and can we have just as much fun staying off site as we have staying on site?

Stick around for the answers to these questions and much more.

As the Disney World Turns..........

 

[Pinkocto]

Poor little Max I'm glad he's doing better.

Graduation pics look great, Nick looks so happy, that's a huge milestone

I hope you didn't have a detour, but it sounds like something is off. Oh my on the screaming children, I have my earphones for that exact reason. For some reason I didn't pack then for my June trip and was punished greatly.

Can't wait to hear about this fabulous trip

 

[jedijill]

Poor Max! Glad he is finally feeling better.

I forgot just how much you had going on between trips...you really needed this vacation!

Jill in CO

 

[eandesmom]

So, I finally said, "You know what. You're right. Driving IS bad for your health. Let's fly".

I had a feeling that was the result! Just as well right, no worries about surviving the long drive in other ways. So glad the job worked out, I know that was stressing you out.

Somehow everything seemed to fall into place over the next 6 weeks.

Except for Max.


I left work early. When I got home I saw Max laying on the carpet with what looked like a frog leg coming out of his back side. That's the best decryption I can give you because that's what it looked like.

What the …?

I tried to pick him up and he ran away. When I finally got to him it looked like something from his back side just ruptured and brown liquid was coming out.

I literally thought he ruptured the lower end of his intestine. I almost fainted. Not kidding.

And then he came home with the cone of shame , antibiotics, and pain meds. Oy yeah - and I had to send a copy of his rabies vaccine to the state of Delaware since he had an animal bite.

Poor Max. But at least he wasn't dead.

Poor Max!!!!!! that would have wigged me out.

Since this update has been picture less so far, here are a few grad pictures…



That blue collar is for National Honor Society









The tired parents

Love it!!!! When does he start

So are you ready to hear all about our fabulous Disney trip now that I've bored you with the background?

We flew Air Tran, which as most of you know is part of SWA.

The curbside check-in guys told us that there were people still booking through the air tran website and paying for luggage. Yikes!

Well, interestingly enough, though they are "part of" air train offers flights that do not show up on the SW site, at least out here. So sometimes you are stuck booking via Air Tran.

We had a boat load of crying babies on our flight. And they cried for the better part of the flight. They were in the front of the plane and the back of the plane. There was no escape.

I read, I played games on my phone, I dozed, and I noticed that when it was time for our initial descent we didn't seem to be descending and we were still out over the ocean.

Hmmmmm……

Up Next: Is our landing as uneventful as our take-off? Can we find our secret off site location? Will we get to Epcot before park closure? And more importantly, can we pick out a car with a gas cap we can open?

[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Oh my. All around oh my! more than one cliff hanger there!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Poor Max! That sounded pretty nasty. He's had quite the year.

Congrats to Nick on his graduation!

I'm really glad you guys were able to have a summer vacation. It's hard to go without a break. And did they re-do the Philly airport? I don't remember anything there being particularly decorative.

 

[MEK]

I'm excited to read about your Disney trip!!! Which you SOOOOO deserve after everything you went through in the preceding months.

Wow-

Denny's cardiac issues

Job change stresses

Brother cancelling out on trip

We definitely needed a do-over after HHI. And since I can't take vacation for three months in my new job its pretty much a no-brainer that we HAD to go! No choice there.

Graduation festivities
(thanks for sharing the awesome pictures. Your pride shows through! So neat about the personalized pieces of cake).

I thought that was pretty great, too! I don't think I ate any cake, but it sure looked good!

Poor Max's animal bite! Any idea what got him?

It's semi-rural where we live. In other words, there are some empty fields around here. I also know we have more than one fox and a few weeks prior to Max's bite we captured a baby fox in our trap. It must have been set by accident and there he was. Pretty cute little thing, actually.

With all this turmoil, I thought I was reading one of eandesmom's PTRs
(j/k- love U Cynthia)

Now that's saying something because we know how much drama there is in Cynthia's TRs.

Can't wait for more, but a little scared about landing issues. THAT can't be good for your health, either!

.

Let's just say we landed. Eventually....

Wow..what a lead up to your trip! I hope you got to relax some on this trip.

chattadisser Christine! Thanks for joining in! We did get to relax on this trip. It really turned out to be the perfect combo of relaxation and go-go-go.

I’m all for turning the male thought process into a positive!

Me too!

I’m curious to see how you liked staying off property and your pros and cons. We are considering staying off property next April and I feel like I’m mentioning a dirty word…off property (shh!).

Christine

That's why I didn't tell anyone where we were staying before we left. I was afraid of criticism. So I started referring to it as our "top secret off site location".

I actually did not mind staying off-site. It really did have some advantages like (1) huge accommodations and plenty of room to spread out (2) more opportunities to visit some off site areas (stay tuned for that) (3) cheaper. Way cheaper.(4) The opportunity to see the Disney welcome sign every day (and more than once )

I did miss the Disney pools and how great the resorts are. But honestly, if you know your way around the Disney property you can still have a great off site vacation. I would do it again if I needed to without hesitation.

Are you officially an empty nester now? We enjoy having the kids grown and out, but I do miss them sometimes.

Not quite. My younger DS Nick moves in on Saturday. Since he's going to UD its fairly close to home. It should be an easy move-in. I will miss the boys when they are both gone, but I really want to get this house straightened up so I'm looking forward to the time alone.

We are booked on an AirTran flight through SWA for our Dec. trip. Were the people on your flight who had booked through AirTran able to get assigned seats? Or did all of you have unassigned seating?

That's a really good question. I don't know if they had assigned seats before 24 hours. I checked in right at 24hours and then my seats were assigned. No issues. In fact, when I flew Air tran before they merged I'm pretty sure I picked my seats at 24 hours out.

I'm looking forward to hearing a trip report about an off-site stay.

I'm looking forward to writing about it because we really did have a great time. Having knowledge of the WDW property and were to go for parking and such really helped a lot. I didn't really mind before off site to be honest.

 

[MEK]

Poor Max, probably got bitten by another cat, those bites usually cause an abcess.

Max has the worst luck. I think its because he's a real hunter. He has that gene and he loves to stalk and attack stuff. My female cats could care less. A few weeks before Max ruptured his abscess there was a baby fox stuck in our trap. (We have a trap for possums to keep them out of the garden). That fox was smaller than Max and I would not doubt it in the least if Max went after him.

Clocking in for the new TR addition.

Woo Hoo! Let the fun begin!

Our flight for September is through SW, I originally was going to book through AirTran, but SW posted a notice as I was getting ready to book. They steered my to the SW site, so flying on SW with free luggage!

Free luggage is definitely a perk! I love it!

I, too would like to know about the seating arrangements. I usually pick my seats 24 hours before flight & wonder if I will have the same access.

Your seats will be assigned when you check in at 24 hours. I can't remember if they were assigned or if I picked them. I think they were assigned. No issues - we had a window and a middle seat and a nice seat companion.

Great update!

Thanks wiigirl! This was an awesome trip so stay tuned for all the fun!

Well, I got a little bit behind here over the past week or so...

You're not behind at all!

I'm glad that overall, the HHI trip went well. It is a shame that you had to go through a health scare with Denny, but it certainly worked out for the best. I can understand his concern about getting back into the swing of things and exercising like before after that experience. I'm sure every little twinge of pain or discomfort set off all kinds of alarms to him.

That's exactly what happened. It took a while to convince him that he was paying attention to things he never would have noticed prior to his stent. I tried to explain that if he was having real cardiac pain it wouldn't be a "twinge", it would be like the pain he had before.

I remember you talking about Max before you left. Too bad you had to deal with that on top of graduation and everything else leading up to the trip, but it looks like it could have been much worse! I can't wait to see how the WDW off property trip went!

That ruptured abscess scared me to death because I though something much worse had happened. Just like diabetic people, diabetic cats are prone to all sorts of infections. Especially when their diabetes is totally out of control like his was at the time. I'm glad it wasn't anything terribly serious. And he is doing SO MUCH BETTER now because I test his glucoses and adjust his insulin.

I've been used.................as a segway!!!

Wow did you have one busy turnaround between your trips! So glad you were able to get everything settled for Max so you could relax during your trip.

It was a busy 6 or 7 weeks and there were a few times I thought I was crazy for going away again so soon after HHI. But I had to. The pull of Disney was just too strong.

One Day Tickets for Disney???

I know, right? I didn't want to ask too many questions but that seemed really silly to me. It's possible they had a two day pass, which doesn't make sense to do all that driving from Daytona. Ah - live and learn.

As the Disney World Turns..........

What would a TR be without a little drama?

 

[Poolrat]

Oh yes I remember all the activity between the trips.

I am glad you went and had a really good time and relaxed.
It was definitely deserved.

Glad Max is holding his own.


I love SW especially when I could fly nonstop out of Greenville. Now they fly out of Charlotte but the prices have gone up a bunch and SW no longer offers nonstop to MCO. Last few trips were right before that last change so now sure when the next flying trip is.


A landing but not landing????

 

[MEK]

Poor little Max I'm glad he's doing better.

Thanks! He is doing a lot better. He's blood sugars are mostly between 165 and 185 now, which is really good for a diabetic cat. Despite his improved diabetic control he is constantly hungry. It's ridiculous.

Graduation pics look great, Nick looks so happy, that's a huge milestone

Thanks! And he was very excited to graduate. It does seem so weird that I don't have a kid going back to high school, but I'm ready to move on.

I hope you didn't have a detour, but it sounds like something is off. Oh my on the screaming children, I have my earphones for that exact reason. For some reason I didn't pack then for my June trip and was punished greatly.

Usually the kids are at the front of the plane, but this was like stereo. Keep them at the front. Please!!!!!!

Yes - something was up - stay tuned.

Can't wait to hear about this fabulous trip

I am really excited to write about it. It was so much fun!

Poor Max! Glad he is finally feeling better.

Thanks! He really is improving. I would be so excited if he could come completely off of insulin. But Denny told me tonight he got into some pizza sauce so that will be spiking his blood sugar.

I forgot just how much you had going on between trips...you really needed this vacation!

Jill in CO

I really did. I needed a do-over of sorts from HHI and I need a pre-new job vacation. It really turned out to be a great one!

I had a feeling that was the result! Just as well right, no worries about surviving the long drive in other ways. So glad the job worked out, I know that was stressing you out.

It was too funny that he was convinced the drive to HHI caused him to end up in the hospital. But it did ultimately work in my favor and I will probably never have to entertain the thought of driving to Florida again. It will be flying from now on.

Poor Max!!!!!! that would have wigged me out.

It was so nasty! Max has had bites before, but that was not something I ever expected. That abscess must have just exploded! Yuck! But that pus really did look like a reptile extremity.

Love it!!!! When does he start

He moves in on Saturday. Then Denny and I are going bike riding with another couple who are dropping their daughter off at UD too. I have to admit, I am now happy that he is going to be close to home. I don't feel real organized with the packing and supplies so its nice to know if he forgets anything it will be easy to bring it to him. I also told him that I'd like to take him out to dinner once a month so now I have an excuse to try the different restaurants in Newark. Brian went back on Sunday. He bought his first bed and moved it into his room. He is living in a house with 3 other boys. I want to get down there in the next couple weeks and try to see the house before it needs caution tape wrapped around it.

Well, interestingly enough, though they are "part of" air train offers flights that do not show up on the SW site, at least out here. So sometimes you are stuck booking via Air Tran.

Really? That's a drag. I bet its the same with the schedule here, but I never really checked because all I was interested in was the non-stop flights. Air Tran has a lot of flights with stops in Atlanta.

Oh my. All around oh my! more than one cliff hanger there!

Starting off right!

Poor Max! That sounded pretty nasty. He's had quite the year.

You know - cats are supposed to get shots once a year for 15 years and then die. They are NOT supposed to have all these problems. He has been to the vet more than all the other cats I've owned combined. But I love him anyway!

Congrats to Nick on his graduation!

Thanks! It is an exciting time and UD move-in day is Saturday. It's almost here!

I'm really glad you guys were able to have a summer vacation. It's hard to go without a break. And did they re-do the Philly airport? I don't remember anything there being particularly decorative.

I really needed that vacation and it turned out to be excellent. It really exceeded my expectations!

I didn't remember the airport looking any different in October, but it really looked better in June. I don't know - maybe it was just that area that was remodeled.

Oh yes I remember all the activity between the trips.

I am glad you went and had a really good time and relaxed.
It was definitely deserved.

It was a crazy 6 weeks, but the worst part was when I didn't know if I had a new job or not. That was really messing with me.

Glad Max is holding his own.

Max is doing remarkably well. I am very pleased with his progress. It's all because I stopped feeding all the cats dry food. That stuff is poison.

I love SW especially when I could fly nonstop out of Greenville. Now they fly out of Charlotte but the prices have gone up a bunch and SW no longer offers nonstop to MCO. Last few trips were right before that last change so now sure when the next flying trip is.

That stinks. Its great that you are close enough to drive, but its a pain if you want to fly and can't get a non-stop flight. SWA used to have a good selection of non-stops out of Philadelphia, but not anymore. Fortunately they still have a good schedule out of Baltimore (which is where we are flying from in October)

A landing but not landing????

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yowza! You had a lot going on in the weeks leading up to your Disney trip. Congrats to Nick on his graduating with honors. I know that you and Denny were proud parents.

I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures of your offsite accommodations. It's been years since we've stayed offsite but I'd certainly do it again if it were the only way we could get to Disney.

**Edited to add: You can see those wine bottle trees all over the place down here in Louisiana. I didn't know there was a story behind 'em. I just thought that we were all a bunch of boozers and somebody finally figured out what to do with the empty bottles. (remember, we can walk around the streets with open containers if we want to)

 

[Moira222]

WHEW!darn good thing the boss is off site today, I caught up!

pardon me for a ridiculous number of multi quotes but I was so far behind its the only way I could remember what i wanted to say!!

You're taking the train? Really? That's something new for you, isn't it?

Why yes, yes it is We are all looking forward to this new mode of transportation. My grandfather was a retired railroader, and as a kid I LOVED when he could take us on a train for a short ride. Joe and my SIL Nina (who is traveling with us in October) have both also wanted to travel by rail at least once. The cost for the the train for the 4 of us, with the car on it, is about the same as a flight for 3 of us. And we have kind of gotten used to the freedom of having a car at WDW. Though really if airfare was cheap, we would fly.

I'm glad you thought St Augustine looks cool. That was my impression, too, but I have no first hand experience with the place.

so sorry as I skip ahead that you'll miss St. Agustine as a side trip. It really looks like such a cute area. I could totally see doing a day or two here. I also am into the ghost stories, etc. and would have LOVED to tour the light house & maybe do a ghost tour here. some day....

When are you going in October? Do our trips overlap?

sadly we miss again. we are 10/12-10/19

TJ wouldn't have let them take it, but they sure had their hands all over it. Yuck!


Bluffton was so great and so was Savannah. I have to admit, I would have been really curious to see the Juliette Gordon Lowe House. I bet it would have been interesting. Oh well, maybe next time!

Savannah looks as pretty as Charleston!

very spooky old Cemetery!

what a GORGEOUS church! just beautiful!

Up Next - Our Last Resort Day with a side of Beaufort

sorry you hit crazy rain at Tybee but looks like you had a fun time exploring before the clouds massed.


you take such great photos! love those shots of the boats on the water.

My sister and her husband lived in Beaufort when they were first married -- her hubby was in the Navy. It was such a beautiful, quaint little town. Your pictures took me back to how pretty it was. Every time we pass the signs for HHI and Beaufort I miss her.

Isnt it funny how Beaufort is two different pronunciations between NC and SC. 2 weeks ago I was in Beaufort (BOWfort) NC and it was also such a cute little town.

I like these two. love the shot through the grass!!

Is it just me or does this paddle boarding look to be boring and a lot of work?

definitely looks boring and a LOT of work!


I know I posted elsewhere but again I am so sorry about your dad. What blessing that you could be there with him, and for your mom, at the end.

I thought of you on that awful rainy day. Hope it all turned out beautifully for your mom's sake, despite the walls you ran into with performing. How great that the boys could speak and get through it at the church and at lunch.....its so not easy to do.

Really not sure what one would do with this



Look - I think it's multiplying

I always thought these were a bit musical like wind trees instead of wind chimes. no???


great sunset photos. the orb thing is odd. because they are in different spots for every photo it seems unlikely that its dust or moisture on your lens--unless you move the lens to focus? I admit, sometimes I think its dust or a bug but there are times when there just seems to be something other worldly going on.


Nice quick stop at Charleston! too bad your lunch didn't turn out to be so noteworthy. bummer.

woohoo for the South of the Border stop. its hokey but its fun!


sounds like a good start to your WDW trip in June. can't wait to read on (even though no doubt I will be weeks behind...again!!!)

 

[englishrose47]

Poor Max !!!! It seems funny calling a cat Max as that is the name of my ****zu , which I am sure wll be **** out I did not realize that if you bookedAirtran on SWA luggage was free , that makes NO sense !! Why are they still charging on AirTran????? I prefer SWA , except for their open seating !!!I do prefer to pick my seat ! We stayed off site in Orlando area twice once at Country Inn & Suites which was gorgeous , 3 or 4 pools !!! The other was Hawthorne Suites , LOVED it the suite was very roomy , nice pool and great breakfast !!! Of course it is NOT Disney but one was just a night before a Disney resort and the other was 3 nights when we did Universal !!!