"It all started with a whopping price error ” 10/24 The Perfect Storm of Opportunity

[kate_wdw]

Hooray! I'm glad to hear how your trip ended and I look forward to your next installment.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

It sounds like a good ending to your trip! I've enjoyed reading throughout and I look forward to your closing thoughts!

 

[smithpack]

So glad to hear from ya!!!

I was wondering if it was cold with the rain in February. Was your weather pretty good during your trip? Glad you got to at least do the Safari again before it started raining, and EE!

So, is there another trip in the works????

 

[A&Bmama]

Yay! Glad to see you finishing this up. Like you, I could ride EE over and over and over again. It's so exhilarating! I love that ride.

Your daughter in the previous update is adorable! I loved what she said to Emily.

EE rocks!

I am so glad that DD had the opportunity to meet Emily Osment. I think she will remember it for the rest of her life!

I have been reading since January. I am glad you are finishing it!! And I am really happy that you ended your trip with such a nice time at AK.

Thanks! It was a really nice trip. I wish we had more stamina at the end but I think we were too worn out.

Hooray! I'm glad to hear how your trip ended and I look forward to your next installment.

Thanks.

The next installment is cominng right up.

It sounds like a good ending to your trip! I've enjoyed reading throughout and I look forward to your closing thoughts!

Thanks. So good to know some people are still following.

So glad to hear from ya!!!

I was wondering if it was cold with the rain in February. Was your weather pretty good during your trip? Glad you got to at least do the Safari again before it started raining, and EE!

So, is there another trip in the works????

Smithpack! good to hear from you too! How's the pregnancy going? You're due later in the fall right???

There is preliminary planning going on for another trip. I am going to post the details in the next couple of days.

 

[A&Bmama]

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what the Disney trip meant to me my family. I think for each of us it was different.

For DS it was a chance to have his friends envious of him for once. Too many times over the “lean” years DS watched as his friends had the latest greatest thing. Bless DS, he never complained, rarely would he even ask for anything. Getting to miss school wasn’t too shabby either.

Believe it or not; I think one of the things DS liked best about the trip was having the dining plan at AKL. He loved being able to just wander to the Mara, order up some food and hand them the card for payment. I tried to think how it would feel to be 15 and be able to go anywhere, buy anything (I knew I could trust him with charging privileges) and order up food on a whim. I think was quite heady and powerful. In fact, the only specific thing he has asked if we can do again is have a dining plan.

They call it the Key to the World card. For me it’s just a name. For DS it is just that; his Key to the World.

For DD, it was special to be able to go on the biggest, best trip of her life with some of her friends. She loved everything Disney with few exceptions (Stitch, Dinosaur, Bugs’s Life). It was also a time of “Yes”. Yes, you can have a $10 balloon, yes, you can get your hair braided; yes, you can have a huge lollypop.

DD loved staying in hotels! I thank The Suite Life of Zack and Cody for that. I think she fancied herself as being as pampered as London Tipton!

For DH it was time off from work, time spent with family, and time to have fun. The fact that Florida is a whole lot warmer than Nova Scotia in February and April was just the icing on the cake.

For me it was a lot of things. Some of the most powerful thing that Disney meant to me didn’t really have anything to do with Disney itself. It was a fulfillment of a promise to my kids. It was making good on my vow to never promise something to my kids that I couldn’t deliver.

A trip to Disney meant that the lean years were over. I can’t tell you the number of conversations between DH and I that started with the words “When the mortgage is paid off we could…”. A trip to Disney meant that we were taking steps to turns some of those dreams into reality.

A year and a half has passed since we made that first trip to Disney. A year and a half since my Dad passed. All of the firsts are out of the way. The hardest by far was the first Christmas Eve. I have such good memories of my Dad on Christmas Eve. It was very difficult to not have him there last year.

Up until mid 2007 we were a 4 generation family. Little did I know that within a year and a half I would lose my Grandmother, almost lose my Mother and then lose my Father. Life events like these have a way of opening your eyes and reassessing your life.

I want to have more shared memories for our family. When the kids are grown and DH and I are gone, I want them to be able to have plenty of conversations that start with the words, “Do you remember when…”

I am very glad that we were as disciplined as we were about having debt paid off as quickly as possible. It took a lot hard work and a boat load of sacrifice. I confess that each time I make a deposit into our savings account and see the balance grow I get a little giddy. I also feel a little sad. I think if only I had known 5 or 6 years ago what the future held I would have gotten a loan and taken the kids then. I would have loved for DS to go on the MK train back when trains fascinated him. I would have liked to take DD to meet the princesses when she was small and in awe of them.

So going forward I am making a point to say “yes" more often to opportunities to create family memories. So what if it costs money? Well…let’s not get too crazy. I’m still economically disciplined, but I am trying to make sure that my cautious nature with finances doesn’t take over completely.

And my clock is ticking…

Not my biological clock. I am all done with that. The count down until my family unit starts moving in different directions. I see my DS, 17 now, about to start his last year of high school. How many years do I have before he won’t want to go anywhere with us anymore?

tick, tick, tick…

Up Next: The Perfect Storm of Opportunity

 

[loveysbydesign]

Great update...love your conclusions!

 

[sherylcin]

Got an e-mail that you had updated and I'm all caught up now. Glad your trip had a happy (if exhausting) ending!

I totally agree about making memories while you can. Every memory doesn't have to be as expensive as Disney but they are sure some of the best!!

We've been fortunate enough to have made many trips to Disney over the years and I now plan "Grand Family Bi-annual Trips" that include my grown children and their children. I figure I'll entertain myself in "the home" with my photo albums when I'm too old to go myself!

 

[chrisw127]

Love this TR and so glad you updated. You need to start a blog!

 

[hucifer]

I echo the other posters...I LOVED your conclusion. What awesome revelations to make. I especially loved this one:

It was also a time of “Yes”. Yes, you can have a $10 balloon, yes, you can get your hair braided; yes, you can have a huge lollypop.

and this one:

I want to have more shared memories for our family. When the kids are grown and DH and I are gone, I want them to be able to have plenty of conversations that start with the words, “Do you remember when…”

and:

So going forward I am making a point to say “yes" more often to opportunities to create family memories.

 

[BellaBaby]

Got the email as well and still here reading!!

Count me in with everyone loving the conclusion!!
Kinda validates our decison to take the kids to Disney (when we could afford it of course). Just awesome, fun memories. Different memories than I have as a kid (which were also good), but we never went to Disney. So glad we've been able to take our kids.

 

[heathers4um]

I found and read your trip report today...I will confess I skipped to only your entries and couldnt wait to find the next. These are some things I would like to say to you:

I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and in such a place full of happiness and memories. I am so happy, however, that in the end you did not let that effect your family returning. I would like to think that your Dad had a little special hand in that with the rainbow and reassuring you that, yes, it is ok for you to do this...and with his blessing.

I was cheering you on when you were fighting with yourself on pushing that button...I felt like I was sitting right there with you telling you to 'go for it'...(if I had been there, I may have pushed your hand ). I teared up with you as you tried to get your own tears out of your system to make room for joy and excitement when your family came home that day. And I literally bounced up and down in my seat when as you and your family got to enjoy Disney together as a family...as you were meant to...YOUR way.

I have to disagree, however, on the churro and dole whip thing....OMG I would die without having those while there. I actually have a list of things I would die without - alot of them in the WS in EPCOT. I will be happy to forward this list to you when you are ready!

Beacuse you have expressed your love for space (and rightfully so), as well as your love for utilizing full kitchens while on vacation, and your potential desire for staying onsite, may I suggest something to you for your next Disney experience? Disney Vacation Club accomodations. There are many ways to rent out points from owners and they are much less expensive then you would think. I would be happy to answer any and all questions you may have but do yourself a favor and look into it. You wont be sorry.

You are so warm and wonderful with your children and your husband was so sweet and encouraging to you. You have a beautiful family. You say your clock is ticking with the family vibe, and I feel your pain. I have a 17 yr old son as well. He is my only and I will now have to wait for grandchildren to experience the magic through younger eyes again but I will assure you that the Disney Magic is still there for adults...and with your grown children as well.

 

[smithpack]

My pregnancy is going well. I don't know when the last time I wrote on here was, but we are having a girl!!! I am so excited that Mia will have a sister. I am due Nov. 4th, but I am sure this baby will come sometime at the end of October as I have never made it past 38 1/2 weeks with any of mine. Time is just flying by.

So glad to hear about your conclusions and that you came back to finish your TR!! You are a wonderful, loving mother and you have done a wonderful job with your children so far. I can't believe how fast children grow, and mine aren't even teenagers yet.

I agree about the making memories thing. Most of my fondest memories from my childhood are from our family vacations. My dad had his own business, so he worked from 8 in the morning until 9 at night. He worked everyday but Sundays, so that was the only time we really got to see him. I remember as a child being angry that my dad was gone so much, but when I look back at it, I see that he was just providing for 8 kids and doing what he knew how to do. He took us on family vacations twice a year so that we could build memories, and those are definitely the times I remember. My dad was and still is a frugal man, he had to be, but he always went above and beyond when it came to vacations. I think that was the one time he ever allowed us to get ice cream and buy things and go out to dinners. Anyways, because he let his guard down during vacations, we would have great times without any complaining, and we all would get along and just have so much fun. My husband, on the other hand, came from a very poor family, and they never went on vacation because they couldn't afford too. But, they lived on a farm surrounded by family and he got to see his dad a lot. So where he doesn't have vacation memories, he has wonderful everyday memories with his family which is good because he lost both of his parents when he was 19. Anyways, because of our different backgrounds, he doesn't understand why I always want to take our kids on big vacations to build memories, and I am afraid if we don't they won't remember us doing the everyday things with them. So we don't go twice a year, but we do budget and plan to do something with our kids once a year. I must confess too, that he is glad we do the vacations now because he see's how much the kids love it.

Anyway, don't regret what you haven't done. You have done a wonderful thing by being debt free. I am sure your kids still have fond memories of other times you have spent together. Disney is just a fun one because you know it is something they will never forget. Just remember, if you have one foot on yesterday and one foot on tomorrow, you are peeing on today.

Great job on your TR!!!

 

[Dugette]

Hi, A&Bmama, I'm still here! So happy to see the updates!

I love your conclusions. I remember being almost in tears much, much earlier in your TR, but somehow those closing thoughts struck that chord again.

Probably because I can relate on some level. We're not as awesome as you guys--we still have a mortgage--but that's the only debt we have left (and we're paying extra on it). We’ve spent our whole marriage so far (almost 5 years) parting with gigantic chunks of money each month to get out of debt. So, I can understand the feelings. We also saved quite a bit at the same time (retirement, emergency funds, etc.). So, when we hit 2010, when our debt was gone, it was pretty wild to actually be "living that dream." But, like you, we're still pretty "disciplined". We actually haven't increased our expenditures since we've been out of debt...we just decided to put that money that was once debt payment money towards travel for a short time. And it got us this crazy Year of Disney! (We're still quite thrifty at that, though, our last WDW trip was $675 total!)

Like you were talking about realizing, we think that the experiences you have are much more important than material things. And I'm well aware that I've been very lucky with my family situation and that it can change quickly. I had all 4 grandparents up until a few years ago and still have 2. Time with family is priceless. We don't have kids yet, but you can be sure that, when we do, they'll be traveling with us as much as possible. Making those memories.

Sorry, didn't mean to make this all about me. I've absolutely loved your TR! So excited to hear that you're planning another trip! Enjoy making all those “remember when…” moments…you deserve them!

 

[DisneyFreak06]

Thanks for coming back. I totally understand all about NOT finishing TRs. It's hard to keep the momento going. I started one, and thought about starting 3 others, but never did because I didn't finish the first one! Thank you again for sharing your whole story with us.

 

[starann]

Thanks for coming back to finish and give some 'final thoughts' (every time I hear that I think of Jerry Springer!!!).

I must say I learned awhile back to 'take some time and enjoy the view' (honest, I don't watch daytime TV that often.....it's on when I see patients!). I see people who had plans for 'tomorrow' that never made it to tomorrow.

My dad opened a service/gas station when I was 6. I can count on 1 hand the number of family vacations we took. Work was EVERYTHING to dad, as without the shop, we had nothing, it was truly a family business. I raised my younger brother because dad and stepmom worked 7am to 9pm Monday thru Saturday. Anyway, growing up I saw other kids DO things with their families, go on vacation, go to the zoo for the day, their parents showed up for school concerts. I was envious. The shop came 1st.

So when I became a mother I vowed to be there, where ever there was, for my kids. Do we have debt? Of course. Do I have Credit cards (nope!), we paid cash for this trip (as we do for any trip). Should I be taking the money I spend on a vacation and putting it to better use? probably, but in 15 years $4,000 will be a drop in the bucket, but the memories my kids have will be priceless. I'm glad you and DH came to that way of thinking for your kids. HUGS!

 

[1971DBday]

WOW! I'm all caught up just before your final words. I hope you have found some peace - and it sounds like you have. Your story reminds me as to why we don't have the top notch furniture and splurgy items in our life. WDW is our splurge - it is our memories that we will cherish forever. I hope you are planning another trip soon so you can enjoy all of the things you missed.

 

[A&Bmama]

Great update...love your conclusions!

Thanks! I'm glad to be finally wrapping things up.

Got an e-mail that you had updated and I'm all caught up now. Glad your trip had a happy (if exhausting) ending!

I totally agree about making memories while you can. Every memory doesn't have to be as expensive as Disney but they are sure some of the best!!

We've been fortunate enough to have made many trips to Disney over the years and I now plan "Grand Family Bi-annual Trips" that include my grown children and their children. I figure I'll entertain myself in "the home" with my photo albums when I'm too old to go myself!

Agreed. I do think it good to get my family out of our regular environment. We have so many individual activities, interests and responsibilities that I find taking us away from those distractions is really condusive to getting us to reconnect with each other.

Love this TR and so glad you updated. You need to start a blog!

Aww shucks, thanks!

 

[A&Bmama]

I echo the other posters...I LOVED your conclusion. What awesome revelations to make.

Hey Hucifer! I'm glad to see you here.

I have been sneaking a peek at your TR and want to get over there to make some comments but...life is getting in the way at the moment.

In case I don't get there before it is closed, let me just say that I think it is probably the most entertaining TR I have ever read. More entertaining than most novels I have read!

 

[A&Bmama]

Got the email as well and still here reading!!

Count me in with everyone loving the conclusion!!
Kinda validates our decison to take the kids to Disney (when we could afford it of course). Just awesome, fun memories. Different memories than I have as a kid (which were also good), but we never went to Disney. So glad we've been able to take our kids.

Thanks for sticking around! There are a lot of great memories from this trip, I can't wait to make more.

I found and read your trip report today...I will confess I skipped to only your entries and couldnt wait to find the next. These are some things I would like to say to you:

I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and in such a place full of happiness and memories. I am so happy, however, that in the end you did not let that effect your family returning. I would like to think that your Dad had a little special hand in that with the rainbow and reassuring you that, yes, it is ok for you to do this...and with his blessing.

Thanks for all of your kind words. The rainbow was awesome, exactly what I needed.

I was cheering you on when you were fighting with yourself on pushing that button...I felt like I was sitting right there with you telling you to 'go for it'...(if I had been there, I may have pushed your hand ). I teared up with you as you tried to get your own tears out of your system to make room for joy and excitement when your family came home that day. And I literally bounced up and down in my seat when as you and your family got to enjoy Disney together as a family...as you were meant to...YOUR way.

I think it would have been best if we had our first experience at Disney on our own. Now that we have done all of our must do items I would be open to visiting along with another family again, I do think that each family has to have some time to tour at their own pace though.

I have to disagree, however, on the churro and dole whip thing....OMG I would die without having those while there. I actually have a list of things I would die without - alot of them in the WS in EPCOT. I will be happy to forward this list to you when you are ready!

I didn't dislike churros, they just didn't blow me away. Dole whips however...don't think I'll ever bother with one again.

Beacuse you have expressed your love for space (and rightfully so), as well as your love for utilizing full kitchens while on vacation, and your potential desire for staying onsite, may I suggest something to you for your next Disney experience? Disney Vacation Club accomodations. There are many ways to rent out points from owners and they are much less expensive then you would think. I would be happy to answer any and all questions you may have but do yourself a favor and look into it. You wont be sorry.

I might just do that one day.

[You are so warm and wonderful with your children and your husband was so sweet and encouraging to you. You have a beautiful family. You say your clock is ticking with the family vibe, and I feel your pain. I have a 17 yr old son as well. He is my only and I will now have to wait for grandchildren to experience the magic through younger eyes again but I will assure you that the Disney Magic is still there for adults...and with your grown children as well.

You are so sweet! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. The magic is there and we do love it, however, I would love to see the wonder in a small child's eyes in Magic Kingdom! Give's me somthing to dream about for the future.

 

[A&Bmama]

My pregnancy is going well. I don't know when the last time I wrote on here was, but we are having a girl!!! I am so excited that Mia will have a sister. I am due Nov. 4th, but I am sure this baby will come sometime at the end of October as I have never made it past 38 1/2 weeks with any of mine. Time is just flying by.

A little baby girl! Ahhh, I miss those sweet precious days when we had a baby in the house. I don't, however, miss getting up in the middle of the night! Have you decided on a name yet?

Wow, this TR is taking a looong time. I think I started it before you were pregnant and now you are close to giving birth!

Please send me a PM or something to let me know how everything goes!

So glad to hear about your conclusions and that you came back to finish your TR!! You are a wonderful, loving mother and you have done a wonderful job with your children so far. I can't believe how fast children grow, and mine aren't even teenagers yet.

It's crazy how fast they grow. My son is in his last year of high school and it just seems like yesterday that I was taking him to school his first day! DD has recently started to really mature. We just got rid of most of her toys and redecorated her room to a more teen style. She wants to start wearing mascara! I said no to that! I do let her curl her eyelashes and wear a lightly tinted lip balm. I think that is plenty of make-up for an 11yo.

I agree about the making memories thing. Most of my fondest memories from my childhood are from our family vacations. My dad had his own business, so he worked from 8 in the morning until 9 at night. He worked everyday but Sundays, so that was the only time we really got to see him. I remember as a child being angry that my dad was gone so much, but when I look back at it, I see that he was just providing for 8 kids and doing what he knew how to do. He took us on family vacations twice a year so that we could build memories, and those are definitely the times I remember. My dad was and still is a frugal man, he had to be, but he always went above and beyond when it came to vacations. I think that was the one time he ever allowed us to get ice cream and buy things and go out to dinners. Anyways, because he let his guard down during vacations, we would have great times without any complaining, and we all would get along and just have so much fun. My husband, on the other hand, came from a very poor family, and they never went on vacation because they couldn't afford too. But, they lived on a farm surrounded by family and he got to see his dad a lot. So where he doesn't have vacation memories, he has wonderful everyday memories with his family which is good because he lost both of his parents when he was 19. Anyways, because of our different backgrounds, he doesn't understand why I always want to take our kids on big vacations to build memories, and I am afraid if we don't they won't remember us doing the everyday things with them. So we don't go twice a year, but we do budget and plan to do something with our kids once a year. I must confess too, that he is glad we do the vacations now because he see's how much the kids love it.

I know what you mean! We never really went anywhere for vacation when we were kids. When we did go to Prince Edward Island we always stayed with family and usually for only just a night or two. Sometimes it is the little things that you remember though, when we did go to the Island I was always really excited to get on the ferry.

I think that do somekind of vacation - big or small - once a year is great. We did take vacations with the kids, but they were all within a couple hours of home, usually camping. We enjoyed it then but we have outgrown it now.

Anyway, don't regret what you haven't done. You have done a wonderful thing by being debt free. I am sure your kids still have fond memories of other times you have spent together. Disney is just a fun one because you know it is something they will never forget. Just remember, if you have one foot on yesterday and one foot on tomorrow, you are peeing on today.

Great job on your TR!!!

I have never heard that expression before! Love, love, love it!