Inching My Way Closer to the Castle Final thoughts/future trips 4/2p90 The End 4/4p92

[MaryAz]

More great pic. I agree with Mary Ellen on her fav. We also liked the Contempo Cafe.
Mary Ellen I am so sorry for all the drama with your son.
Can't wait to see BLT pics.

 

[MEK]

Just found this TR!!! Can't wait to go back & read! I love to read TRs of "girls' trips"!!! I leave on one in 13 days....not that I'm counting!!!

PrincessAlways! So happy to have you join us on our TR until you leave on yours. The"girls only" trip was really, really fun. We both had a great time because we both love Disney and love taking pictures. I, however, was the only sherpa in the group!

Jen....PA? Where? I'm in Berks County. The ladies I'm traveling with are all from PA too!! We met here on the DIS!!! This will be our 2nd trip together!!

Jen lives in Aston, Pa which is really southeast PA right over the Delaware state line. I grew up in Erdenheim, Pa - does that count?

I am actually traveling in May to Disney with 4 girls I met on the Dis. Can't wait!

A high Sherpa rating!!!!

Last night I was putting some things out for my trip....little things like laundry detergent, contacts (I wear daily disposable and am always paranoid I am going to forget them ) toothbrush, etc and I remembered a small bag I had in May (I don't always bring a Vera ) that I liked...it is made by Sherpani!!!! I laughed right out loud last night!!

Tracy

See what you started with this Sherpa stuff!

Sherpa....the Legend!

 

[MEK]

Great pictures! Those cupcakes look soooo good! And now, I will definitely call and confirm the DDP before I arrive! I never bothered before but now it sounds like a good idea!

Don't they look awesome! They were so pretty and yummy!

I have never had trouble adding the DDP, but I usually add it close to the arrival date so maybe that's why!

More great pic. I agree with Mary Ellen on her fav. We also liked the Contempo Cafe.
Mary Ellen I am so sorry for all the drama with your son.
Can't wait to see BLT pics.

Thanks Mary. It is drama with my son, but I am still hopeful that he will get his act together. It's just one day at a time with him! It's just so scary now that he is a senior.

And to the Contempo Cafe. Yum!

 

[MEK]

You two were well matched on this trip with your artsy photos. It's always good to go with someone who "gets it." I recall a recent trip where I heard, "you're taking a picture of a lamp??"

:

We were well matched on this trip so it worked out great!!! You are so right - we both totally get it. And we love taking pictures of lamps!

That chicken chop salad looks pretty yummy. I have never tried Contempo but have heard good things about it.

The Contempo Cafe was really good. I totally enjoyed that meal.

Can't wait to see pics of the room!

Coming soon!

Tracy - you are putting me to shame. You've started packing/piling already? My flight is 7am Thurs and I have not started one iota.

You sound like Jen. She didn't start packing until the night before and finished the morning of. She was looking for her bathing suit on the way out the door.

Are you getting super psyched?

 

[All7OfUs]

WOW, wow, wow, wow. Your photos are just amazing! Again.

Salad, I think I just drooled some. YOu know how when you see something really good, and some spit comes flying out? Yeah, that kind.

I think if I had heard $1,000 in any context, I would have needed some Valium right there. Scary!! So glad it was fixed!

 

[MEK]

WOW, wow, wow, wow. Your photos are just amazing! Again.

Thanks. We both thank you!

Salad, I think I just drooled some. YOu know how when you see something really good, and some spit comes flying out? Yeah, that kind.

Jen's salad did look pretty darn good. She only ate about 1/2 and then took the rest back to the room.

I think if I had heard $1,000 in any context, I would have needed some Valium right there. Scary!! So glad it was fixed!

You're not kidding! Crisis averted!

 

[eandesmom]

OMG - that sounds sooooooo cool. Then I definitely must go over there in May. No more excuses. I am going!

What's this about the perfect bathroom? Is there such a thing? Do tell!

At that moment in time...it was heaven on earth. I kid you not. I think you'd go nuts taking photos over there!

Well, at least he is taking a review course. Brian did no preparation for the SAT. He took it for the second time this past Saturday and stayed out until 1:15am Sat morning. To say I was fit to be tied is an understatement. I almost kicked him out of the house. I was so close to just telling him to leave and not return until the end of the weekend.

We have totally lost all control of him and its a constant struggle. Every once in a while there is a glimmer of hope and then....poof....gone! I was supposed to take him on a college visit Friday morning. He got up and said he wasn't going. So, fine. I am done. He can muddle his way through the applications and he can come to me. We have decided that for our sanity he has to leave the house when he's 18. He's that bad. He is completely selfish, completely unprepared for most thing, and he exhibits no personal responsibility. It is very, very difficult.

Taking it, but not by choice. Taking it...unwillingly. Blowing off the orientation class, not preparing for when he needs to log in to take the practice test (which meant having to print a 62 page doc ahead of time), not knowing how to even log in...missing the first one of a supposedly non refundable series...which thankfully we could reschedule and the list goes on. He is becoming increasingly defiant. And hasn't even taken the SAT...right now Jeff thinks we will be incredibly lucky if we can get him to go to community college next year. He seems to be under the impression that neither the ACT or SAT are needed and he'll go when he's ready to go. Oh it's important..."someday". Not sure how he thinks he's going to live but we are all on the same page...not in college = not living at our house.

Whether his mom enforces that or not is a different story, she's half the battle. No consequences from her when he does this stuff, threatens but never follows through. Bottom line is she has no real expectations of him...so neither does he and we are like salmon swimming upstream. Case in point. She wanted Jeff to take him to some snowboarding thing but wouldn't support him going on a job interview.

BUT at the end of the day, as much as she doesn't help...the lack of ambition, inertia and drive is, all him. NOT being a bad parent and sadly, not uncommon at that age but certainly far worse with some. It's the defiance that kills us and it's very passive aggressive.

Night and day with Kendall too. But you know, my brother and I were night and day in the same way. My next 2 siblings, same thing. Not exactly the "good kid/bad kid" but still, markedly different in the ways parents notice. I often think that kids choose one path to set themselves apart from each other and sometimes it's a good path, sometimes not. I see similar, but different, patterns with the E's. Evan is going to kill me when he's in HS. I know it.

If Brian was my only child I would be certain that I was the world's worse parent. But fortunately Nick is my link to sanity. He does the things you expect a normally maturing teenager to do. He takes responsibility for his own actions, is appreciative of things, and is adequately prepared (most of the time).

It's night and day.

You are a great parent and he will, in his own time, find his way. Taylor too. We just all may be grey, or bald, when it happens.

Auntie Gravity does make awesome smoothies. It is seriously my favorite place to get them. I had a cappuccino one that was super yummy.

Loved the cappuccino one. And the root beer float too!

I was actually thinking the same thing when I saw that picture. I was like "hmmmmm....I do like like a sherpa" - probably why I had that snarky look. I only brought the backpack because we were having the luggage transferred and I wanted my regular pocket book, my jewelry, and my bathing suit. I packed better on the last day so THAT didn't happen again.

Ok, you are off the hook, I looked equally sherpa like on our arrival day, not knowing when our room would be ready and schlepping 6 swimsuits so I didn't have to go back to baggage services. LOL!

It was a totally yummy lunch and totally worth the praise. I had very good CS experiences this trip!

Jen could not finish that salad, so it went back to the room.

More replies coming after short break!

Oh cool, I can't wait to hear about them all!

 

[MEK]

I know you thought i was never going to make it to BLT. I know I was procrastinating, but I had good intentions. I wanted to put my MK pictures to good use.

So although Jen made it to BLT, I am still taking my final steps in the MK. Here are a few final sights......

Now after adding "effects".....

After adding "effects".....

I managed to catch a little bit of the stage show. So bright and colorful......

On our way out we met up with this young lady......

I love this little alley way, but they must have had the sound effects turned off because I heard no noise coming from this window.

Ah, Jen, reminding us again that it is only Day 2.....

Love this........

So........

And with that we were out the gate and on the monorail......

Next stop....Disney's Newest Vacation Club Resort.....Bay Lake Towers. They kept saying that over and over again every time we got on a monorail. At first it was cute and added to the excitement, then it was like "yeah, yeah, yeah, we already know!"

 

[Charleston Princess]

Love all the pictures of Main Street decked out for Halloween!

 

[MEK]

Continued......

I, of course, have the same food pictures as Jen but mine aren't quite as good......

The Monster Salad......

And the petit sandwich........

My sandwich was some type of club sandwich with turkey, bacon, and probably cheese. The best thing about it was the whole grain bread. It was so delicious and I remembering commenting to Jen that both our CS meals had been very, very good. The green beans were also quite good. I think I was still in a healthy eating mode when I picked them. Obviously, that all went down the tubes when I picked the giant cupcake for dessert.

I guess I didn't photograph the giant cupcake because I was probably too busy eating it. I don't recall exactly what time it was, but by the time we headed over to our room it was after 1pm.

So the room......drum roll please........

Well, I knew nothing about the even vs odd numbering trick and I knew that Jen asked our CM for a "good room", so I just tagged along to see what we got. I knew we were on the 9th floor. That seemed like a good height to me. I immediately realized that it would be a complete drag to be on the bottom floors. Perhaps they are the standard rooms because in those rooms you had no chance of seeing anything. Our room was classified as "lake view".

As we are walking down the long corridor Jen informed me that "even" was good and I think our room was 9106? She said we might have a bit of a castle view if we were really lucky. Nice. Just keep walking. I could tell we were finally walking around a bend, getting further and further away from the castle. Finally, we reached our destination and in we went.

Now remember....I had my big lens on so it was next to impossible for me to take pictures.

We looked at each and then ran to the balcony.

apparently I did take these pictures before we hit the balcony.....

The pictures above the pull-out....

The picture above the bed (close up).....

The very cute Mickey bedspread.....

And the view......

Straight ahead.....

To the right.......

AND....to the LEFT.......

Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah! Best View Ever! Let me just say that it was a mere head nod in any direction to get an amazing view. We were so excited.

As we were taking it all in we got to see our first of many parasailers.......

For those of you who know I am dying to try the premium or the platinum plans, this is how I got the idea. Seeing that parasailer sort of planted that seed. That and the tour we did later in the trip.

So, for those of you who are dying to see the actual room, hopefully Jen will come through with some pics. All I am going to say right now is the room was really small.

So, that's all I have time for now.

Up Next, where do two girls with DVC privileges, on a scorching hot day, go after they check out their new digs?

 

[KatMark]

Mary Ellen, I love the Halloween shots -- awesome. And your view from your room at BLT is fabulous. I love the parasailing shots (my son did that six years ago and loved it).

 

[Lady Lallie]

Ahhhhh!! I want to go parasailing SO BAD!

I just love the way BLT looks, I want to stay there so badly!

 

[MEK]

At that moment in time...it was heaven on earth. I kid you not. I think you'd go nuts taking photos over there!

I am 150% sold! I am so there!

Taking it, but not by choice. Taking it...unwillingly. Blowing off the orientation class, not preparing for when he needs to log in to take the practice test (which meant having to print a 62 page doc ahead of time), not knowing how to even log in...missing the first one of a supposedly non refundable series...which thankfully we could reschedule and the list goes on. He is becoming increasingly defiant. And hasn't even taken the SAT...right now Jeff thinks we will be incredibly lucky if we can get him to go to community college next year. He seems to be under the impression that neither the ACT or SAT are needed and he'll go when he's ready to go. Oh it's important..."someday". Not sure how he thinks he's going to live but we are all on the same page...not in college = not living at our house.

Whether his mom enforces that or not is a different story, she's half the battle. No consequences from her when he does this stuff, threatens but never follows through. Bottom line is she has no real expectations of him...so neither does he and we are like salmon swimming upstream. Case in point. She wanted Jeff to take him to some snowboarding thing but wouldn't support him going on a job interview.

BUT at the end of the day, as much as she doesn't help...the lack of ambition, inertia and drive is, all him. NOT being a bad parent and sadly, not uncommon at that age but certainly far worse with some. It's the defiance that kills us and it's very passive aggressive.

OMG - they sound so similar, although Brian did recognize that he needed to take SATs and he probably did it because all his friends were signed up. His scores are very acceptable, but he is a naturally smart kid and has always done well on standardized tests. I can only imagine how well he would do if he actually prepared properly.

But the college stuff - he is so not prepared to go away and live on his own. He is very bad with money and spends it like crazy. He is very sloppy and loses and leaves things everywhere. I actually think he needs a roommate to kick his butt into shape. And his study habits are non-existent.

I understand the part about not being consistent as a parent and its really hard. Our problem was we didn't realize that he needed really strict consequences right from the get-go. We failed with this and things got out of control. With Nick we didn't need to do that and he just figured out limits. With Brian we needed a completely different approach and now it is really hard to enforce it. There's always a loop hole for him. He's really good at manipulating.

I wish there were programs in the community where you could move a kid like this out of your house for a couple months. Go put them with volunteer parents who make them learn respect, responsibility, and initiative. Once they loose respect for you, its over. You just can't catch up. I try, but it feels like a losing battle. Everyday I have to psych myself up for the challenge. I know if he was out of our house where there was a zero tolerance policy for his behavior, he would shape up real fast.

Plus Brian is starting to hate the way the Adderall makes him feel. He says it "dulls him", but he continues to take it cause he knows he can't function in school without it. He is in the process of switching to Concerta, which I hope works.

Night and day with Kendall too. But you know, my brother and I were night and day in the same way. My next 2 siblings, same thing. Not exactly the "good kid/bad kid" but still, markedly different in the ways parents notice. I often think that kids choose one path to set themselves apart from each other and sometimes it's a good path, sometimes not. I see similar, but different, patterns with the E's. Evan is going to kill me when he's in HS. I know it.


You are a great parent and he will, in his own time, find his way. Taylor too. We just all may be grey, or bald, when it happens.

I think you know what kids attitudes are long before they reach high school. It's just when they are young their attitudes are easier to manage and deal with. So good luck with more kids going through high school. Just when you thought you were done, you will have more. I will be done!

And grey hair - check, got it!

Loved the cappuccino one. And the root beer float too!

Ok, you are off the hook, I looked equally sherpa like on our arrival day, not knowing when our room would be ready and schlepping 6 swimsuits so I didn't have to go back to baggage services. LOL!

Just wait for May. Myabe I can outdo myself!

 

[MEK]

Love all the pictures of Main Street decked out for Halloween!

Thanks Jackie. I love, love, love the Halloween decorations. I think I like them better than Christmas (or at least they are a close second)

Mary Ellen, I love the Halloween shots -- awesome. And your view from your room at BLT is fabulous. I love the parasailing shots (my son did that six years ago and loved it).

Thanks Kathy. I love the Halloween pictures, They are so fun.

Isn't that view awesome and the parasailing looks so fun. I really want to try it.

Ahhhhh!! I want to go parasailing SO BAD!

I just love the way BLT looks, I want to stay there so badly!

You have wanted to parasail for years. The teenage girls we took to the OBX tried it with one of the dads and they LOVED it. I know I would be scared to death, but I still want to do it.

BLT's location can not be beat. So convenient!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Your BLT view is like the one we had in December only higher! I think we were on the 6th floor. It was a lake view, and we looked to the left and saw the castle too.

I really like all the Halloween decorations. I may now have to plan a trip for October 2011!!

 

[PrincessAlways]

All I can say is.....you ladies really know how to take WONDERFUL, AWESOME, BEAUTIFUL, GREAT pictures!

Never knew about the even/odd number thing for rooms at BLT! You had a great view of MK!! I've stayed there twice...love it!!! Maybe next time I'll ask for an "even" number room!
Love the food at Contempo Cafe!! Especially those cupcakes! The word "cupcake" does not do it justice!!!

 

[podsnel]

OMG- both your photos... There are some really great ones from both of you.

Glad you finally got to BLT- I hope I can book a 2BDRM there this Thursday morning- although I did call today to check checking in 7 mos from today, and they said there was lots of availability. Still nervous, though, because of the impending computer enhancement...

The rooms are smaller there- kind of like hotel rooms in NYC. But the convenience rocks!!

So now, I forget- what's the difference between BLT even and odd #'s? Do you remember which have the laundry room? (You would think I would know being that I stayed in a laundry room one bedroom last November, but I guess I'm not all that bright after all!)

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Fabulous updates ladies! That lunch at Contempo Cafe looks yummy!

What a view from your room! WOW!! I'm very impressed!! The lower floors on the MK side of the building are standard view, not sure about the lake side. I request an even numbered room on the north side of the building for the lake view portion of out stay next week! I won't be unhappy if we don't get it because it doesn't really seem that there is a bad view in the bunch! I won't mind being able to see WL!

Anyway, MaryEllen, the poster I was talking about...




Those trees aren't there anymore! They can't be because if they are I'm a lot less observant then I think I am! LOL! I'm also pretty sure that in the picture I was talking about with my sister and I when we were kids the trees are fuller and more shading Main Street! I'll pull it out over Thanksgiving when we're at my mom's

 

[manntra]

Tracy - you are putting me to shame. You've started packing/piling already? My flight is 7am Thurs and I have not started one iota.

Just my contacts and bathing suits!!! I am scared to forget either one!! I can't pack until I leave Ziggy at my parents the night before I leave...he doesn't bode well with the idea of his mama leaving without him

Mary Ellen and Jen.......What a fabulous view.....ME you sent me the picture on my phone but that didn't do it justice...AT ALL!!!
Also love the picture of Mickey with his eyes closed.....looks like he is coughing

I can't wait to walk around with you taking pictures of everything...I am going to need a press pass to be with the paparazzi!!

Tracy

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Just my contacts and bathing suits!!! I am scared to forget either one!! I can't pack until I leave Ziggy at my parents the night before I leave...he doesn't bode well with the idea of his mama leaving without him

I packed most of my stuff yesterday when the kids were outside playing with DH! Of course, I also have to pack up all the stuff for the kids to go stay with Grandma! I also have to make sure MIL has everything else she needs! Going away without the kids is more work then going away with the kids!