Jaime's Flower Power Trip! NEW 7/05 CH. 62: The "Really" End **COMPLETED**

[tiggerbell]

I can't wait anymore. I...MUST...POST!!!!!!!!!!

THE TRIP:

WHO:The 4 ladies from the September, 2005, trip.

WHEN: April 28th to May 5th, 2007.

WHERE: Port Orleans French Quarter (NOPE - KEEP READING!)

THE CAST:

Me, Jaime, 39: This is my 16th trip to WDW. I love writing trip reports. I love reading trip reports. I forgot to write this part about the cast and had to go back and add it, because I just figure everyone on the Dis knows me… But for the couple who don’t, I’m divorced, have an 18DD in college in Seattle and a 16DD at home. I eat, sleep, and breathe Disneyworld. I have the best job in the world at a small roofing company. Winters at a roofing company are fun – we had a Yatzee marathon a few days ago. There are only 3 of us girls and the 2 bosses – who are wintering in Pompano Beach (it’s February as I write this). OK, way off track here…

Rhonda, sister, 57: I’m about 95% convinced this is her 37th trip… but she’ll correct me if I’m wrong. When she grows up and retires (February, 2009), she wants to move to Florida and clean up horse poop on Main Street. Our oldest sister, Mia, (65? 64?) is moving with her. After my divorce a couple years ago, they asked me to move with them… to take care of them in their old age… apparently Rhonda won’t be the only one cleaning up poop! LOL!!!!!

Ruth, Rhonda’s co-worker: I don’t know how old Ruth is or how many times she’s been to Disney. I know Ruth likes to do laundry on vacations, she always wore jeans on our last trip (I don’t know how she didn’t roast!), she doesn’t like thrill rides (was not a fan of Soarin’ even!), and (like me) she’s very outspoken. A funny Ruth story from the last trip involved the 50’s Prime Time Café. Ruth had been there before and knew you could get in trouble for not finishing your food, so she brought a zip lock bag and purposely ordered a sandwich. She ate half and put the other half in the baggie. The waitress was behind her, talking to another table, and heard the bag. By the time she came over, the bag with the sandwich was hidden in Ruth’s purse, and Rhonda got yelled at by the waitress for hiding food!

Sandy, former co-worker of Rhonda and Ruth: I think this is Sandy’s 3rd trip to WDW, but I could be wrong on that. I believe she’s in her 60s. But you’d never, ever know it! I thought she was in her 40s when I met her. Sandy will be my roommate for this trip and I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.


ACTUAL TRIP REPORT BEGINS:


DAY 1:
CHAPTER 1: Once Upon a Time: Page 9, Post #130, posted 5/8/07 [post=18553837]CLICK HERE[/post]
CHAPTER 2: Magical Express???: Page 10, Post #139, posted 5/9/07
CHAPTER 3: Giraffe-a-Go-Go!age 10, Post #148, posted 5/10/07
CHAPTER 4: "GAT" Me to Some Food!age 11, Post #154, posted 5/11/07
CHAPTER 5: This Picture Needs to be Framed!age 11, Post #162, posted 5/12/07
CHAPTER 6: Found Him!age 12, Post #170, posted 5/12/07
CHAPTER 7: Don’t Make Me "Resort" to… Never Mind, I Got Nothing: Page 12, Post #175, posted 5/13/07
CHAPTER 8: BOMA! or Feed Me! I'm Starving Again!: Page 13, Post #181, posted 5/14/07

DAY 2:
CHAPTER 9: Do You Hear Jungle Drums???: Page 13, Post #188, posted 5/16/07
CHAPTER 10: That Lady Stole My Plan!!!: Page 14, Post #201, posted 5/17/07
CHAPTER 11: BAMM!!! Right into a Pole!: Page 14, Post #202, posted 5/17/07
CHAPTER 12: Jack is Frightened!: Page 14, Post #206, posted 5/18/07
CHAPTER 13: Jack Needs Something to Calm His Nerves!: Page 15, Post #211, posted 5/19/07
CHAPTER 14: Donald Trump was on What???: Page 15, Post #216, posted 5/20/07
CHAPTER 15: Rhonda Says Something that Deserves Its Own Chapter: Page 16, Post #233, posted 5/21/07
CHAPTER 16: The Great German Church Debate Continues: Page 16, Post #240, posted 5/21/07
CHAPTER 17: There's No Love in THIS Elevator!: Page 17, Post #246, posted 5/22/07
CHAPTER 18: A Queen, a Communist, & a Floater, Oh My!: Page 17, Post #254, posted 5/22/07

DAY 3:
CHAPTER 19: Tiny Waffles & a Tattoo: Page 18, Post #261, posted 5/23/07
CHAPTER 20: Three Monorails & a Wedding Chapel: Page 19, Post #273, posted 5/24/07
CHAPTER 21: Is that a Turkey Leg in Your Pocket or are You Just Happy to See me?: Page 19, Post #279, posted 5/25/07
CHAPTER 22: I Got "Goosed" in France: Page 19, Post #287, posted 5/26/07
CHAPTER 23: The Flower Power Trip Gets Its Name: Page 20, Post #300, posted 5/27/07
CHAPTER 24: Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...: Page 21, Post #308, posted 5/28/07

DAY 4:
CHAPTER 25: Oh, Kay7979… You’re Up!: Page 21, Post #313, posted 5/29/07
CHAPTER 26: Oh, puggymom… You’re Up!: Page 22, Post #321, posted 5/31/07
CHAPTER 27: It’s Called “SPLASH” Mountain. Did You Really NOT See This Coming???: Page 23, Post #332, posted 06/01/07
CHAPTER 28: Smile for the Camera, Mickey!: Page 23, Post #335, posted 06/03/07
CHAPTER 29: John Paul Jones: Page 23, Post #339, posted 06/04/07

DAY 5:
CHAPTER 30: Who Peed in your Cornflakes???: Page 23, Post #344, posted 06/05/07
CHAPTER 31: Karma is Not Ruth's Friend: Page 24, Post #351, posted 06/06/07
CHAPTER 32: We were Brave, Fearless, and Ruth-Less!: Page 24, Post #360, posted 06/07/07
CHAPTER 33: Welcome to Satan’s Bus Route: Page 25, Post #372, posted 06/08/07
CHAPTER 34: The Art of Disney : Page 26, Post #380, posted 06/09/07
BONUS PARAGRAPHS AND PICTURES - Not Really a Chapter: Page 27, Post #394, posted 06/10/07

DAY 6:
CHAPTER 35: Lights! Camera! More Lights!: Page 27, Post #400, posted 06/10/07
CHAPTER 36: Fore!: Page 28, Post #412, posted 06/11/07
CHAPTER 37: Fight!: Page 29, Post #426, posted 06/12/07
CHAPTER 38: Nebo, This Path's for You...: Page 30, Post #438, posted 06/13/07
CHAPTER 39: I've Found the Rum, Luv!: Page 30, Post #445, posted 06/14/07
CHAPTER 40: Jack makes Friends - Plural!: Page 31, Post #456, posted 06/15/07
CHAPTER 41: Why Did She Bring a Camera to the Pool? : Page 31, Post #463, posted 06/16/07
CHAPTER 42: Satan is Still on Bus Duty: Page 32, Post #471, posted 06/16/07
CHAPTER 43: Hoop-Dee-Doo Part 1: Page 32, Post #475, posted 06/17/07
CHAPTER 44: Hoop-Dee-Doo Part 2: Page 32, Post #479, posted 06/18/07
CHAPTER 45: Stop Moving!: Page 33, Post #485, posted 06/19/07

DAY 7:
CHAPTER 46: You are Not Moving My Furniture!: Page 33, Post #494, posted 06/20/07
CHAPTER 47: Keys to the Kingdom, Part I: Page 34, Post #509, posted 06/21/07
CHAPTER 48: Keys to the Kingdom, Part II: Page 35, Post #523, posted 06/22/07
CHAPTER 49: Keys to the Kingdom, Part III: Page 36, Post #540, posted 06/23/07
CHAPTER 50: Keys to the Kingdom, Part IV: Page 37, Post #547, posted 06/24/07
CHAPTER 51: Bus? I Don’t Think So!: Page 38, Post #559, posted 06/24/07
CHAPTER 52: Mo, What’s this Brown Stuff?: Page 38, Post #569, posted 06/25/07
CHAPTER 53: What Would Mo Do?: Page 36, Post #580, posted 06/26/07
CHAPTER 54: That was Not Expected: Page 40, Post #594, posted 06/27/07

DAY 8:
CHAPTER 55: Wait!!! Don't Clean It Up Yet!!!: Page 41, Post #615, posted 06/28/07
CHAPTER 56: Doesn’t Breakfast Sound Good Now?: Page 43, Post #637, posted 06/29/07
CHAPTER 57: Winding Down: Page 44, Post #648, posted 06/30/07
CHAPTER 58: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch, Ummm… Savanah: Page 44, Post #651, posted 07/01/07
CHAPTER 59: Angry Strangers on a Bus: Page 45, Post #664, posted 07/02/07
CHAPTER 60: A Storm on the Horizon: Page 45, Post #675, posted 07/03/07

DAY 9:
CHAPTER 61: The End: Page 46, Post #683, posted 07/04/07
CHAPTER 62: The Really End: Page 46, Post #687, posted 07/05/07

 

[tiggerbell]

Nov. 2, 2006 - 177 DAYS TO GO: Oh, yeah, I’m writing it! I’m not posting it yet, but I’m writing it. There’s so much to be decided, and that’s not always an easy task when you have 4 people in 4 houses going! Think of how hard some choices are when it’s just 2 of you and you live together! (Meg and I hate each other’s favorite pizza place! But, seriously, her favorite pizza is Pizza Hut??? Who does that??? – The CORRECT answer to “Where should we order from” is FALCO’S. Write that down. It’s in Cicero. Next to Berwyn. If you’re in the neighborhood, drop in, we’ll order pizza. If you don’t do Falco’s, go to Home Run Inn. It’s to die for! But they don’t deliver. And I’m all about people bringing me food! I’m really going to miss Falco’s when we move to Florida. And, sadly, they will miss me, too!

And as long as I’m rambling, I used to work in the Sears Tower. There’s a Chinese restaurant on the next block called Silk Road. They had the best pepper steak in the world! Every week, I’d get it at least once. I left Sears in February, ’98 and in March, ’99, was downtown for a job interview. I had some time, so I went to Silk Road for lunch. I get to the front of the line and the man who takes your order looked up, smiled, and said, “Where have you been!?!”

Maybe that’s just sad. But Falco’s WILL notice when I move! Anyway, through a series of e-mails, we have picked our restaurant choices. We have decided to do the dining plan. New places include Cap’n Jack’s (for all of us but Rhonda), O’Hana’s for breakfast (all of them, not me!), and we’re doing the Hoop Dee Doo, which was Sandy’s idea!

 

[tiggerbell]

Nov. 16, 2006 - 163 DAYS TO GO: Playing around on the computer at work today, I saw I got a DING from Southwest. I check it out, no good. BUT, there was a message that we can now book through May 10, 2007. So I decide to see what airfare is for the April/May trip. April 28th (Saturday) to May 6th (Sunday) was $230 round trip per person. I changed the last day to Saturday the 5th, and VOILA! - $135 per person ROUND TRIP!!!

Holy Cow! Can’t get Rhonda on the phone – get Ruth (remember they work together?) and she agrees we should fly (also tells me Rhonda has jury duty today), e-mail Sandy, who also agrees we should fly. 2½ hours and 11 phone calls to her home later(yeah, she had a few comments about the sheer number of calls!), Rhonda calls me back. I tell her what I found and we book the airfare!

When I get home, I e-mail Linda at The Mouse for Less to add a day onto the beginning of the trip and I start working out a new schedule!

Nov. 17, 2006 - 162 DAYS TO GO: Normally I wouldn’t do “back to back” updates like this – except this one’s kinda big (maybe… time will tell). I went to the podiatrist today for a routine appointment, but it turned out to be a breakthrough! Not only do I have plantar fasciitis in both feet – I have tarsal tunnel syndrome in my left ankle! THAT’S why my foot never healed after the surgery! Basically, I have carpal tunnel in my ankle! WHO gets carpal tunnel in their ankle??? Jeez. They will try a couple of different therapies first, but there may be another surgery on the horizon…

 

[tiggerbell]

Dec. 15, 2006 – 134 DAYS TO GO: The surgery is a certainty. Today’s appointment included a shot in the foot (I was giggling my head off because I had no feeling from the knee down! I kicked my Croc across his office twice trying to put it on!)

I’m pretty freaked out. What if this surgery doesn’t work either? The last one sure didn’t. I asked the doctor today what the healing time was on this and he said it should be the same as the last surgery. I practically yelled, “Two and a half years???”

Breathe… different doctor. Different surgery. Different problem in the foot. And, seeing as I’m just sitting here typing, and my left foot is throbbing right under the ankle bone – huh, right where the surgery will be – I suppose this is the best option.

Disney geek that I am, I told him I had 2 vacations this year and needed my foot by the end of April!

So January 6th, 2007, I go back into the operating room. Yikes!

 

[tiggerbell]

January 25, 2007 – 93 DAYS TO GO: Well, surgery went really well – lots of pain and swelling for a couple of weeks, but I’m doing really well now! Wearing a shoe – 2 actually! – and walking without a walker or crutches!

Going over to Rhonda’s tonight to start working on the September “Brook-ee” trip (226 days!)

February 11, 2007 – 76 DAYS TO GO: Wow! It’s coming up fast!!! I’m really hoping I can get my foot totally rehabilitated by the time we leave. I’m stretching and massaging it regularly – and if it ever warms up outside, I’ll start walking every day too.

The Flower Power Concerts line-up has finally been announced for when we’re there. Last year, Rhonda and I went and saw Paul Revere and the Raiders. They were wonderful! Our choices this year are:

4/25 – 4/28 - The Tokens
4/29 – 5/1 - Peter & Gordon
5/2 – 5/3 - Jose Feliciano
5/4 – 5/5 - Petula Clark

I’m not thrilled. Rhonda wants to see Petula Clark. What’d I do to Rhonda??? All right, but if Rick Springfield ever plays, Rhonda is GOING! Face it, eventually there won’t be any “Flower Power” people left, and Disney will have to change the concerts to something else!

February 17, 2007 – 70 DAYS TO GO: 10 WEEKS!!! OK, I’ll admit it… mostly because I got caught by my 16DD, Meghan, who will tell Rhonda, who will blurt it to the boards anyway… I was packing last night. Just the “Disney” stuff – sunscreen, Pal Mickey, beach towel, Captain Jack.

 

[tiggerbell]

February 20, 2007 – 67 DAYS TO GO: Well, Kay7979 has the “Time Dilation Effect”; nebo has “If it’s Tuesday, I’ll hurt myself”; and I have the “Get Up and Go”s. This is the ability to be wide-awake before the sun has made an appearance. I regularly am up, showered, dressed, and to the food court for coffee before the wake up call comes from Mickey WHILE I’M ON VACATION.

Normally, my vacation phenomenon starts a couple weeks before we leave – this trip it started at the 10-week mark! Saturday, I was awake at 6:30. Normal wake up time on a WEEKDAY isn’t until 7:00! Sunday, I was up at 6:00. Monday – 6:40, today – 5:22! Man, I hope it’s just part of the time change that’s coming… or I’ll be exhausted by the end of April!

 

[tiggerbell]

February 21, 2007 – 66 DAYS TO GO:

LATE BREAKING BULLETIN:

RHONDA HAS NEVER EATEN AT CAP’N JACK’S.

THAT IS ALL.

 

[duncanssweetie]

Jaime... YEAH !!!! FINALLY I get to reply to one of your TR's I read all the others this weekend and I was going to PM you and thought you'd think I'm CRAZY !!! Well, I am just a little, okay okay, I'm ALOT CRAZY !!! There I said it, and I'll say this, too: I cannot wait to read more !!

My oldest DD14, Caylin read with me this weekend and kept saying "Mom, you guys have the same sense of humor, she is so FUNNY", which I took as a compliment because if she thinks your funny, she thinks I'm funny, kwim?

Anywho, I am so glad your feet are doing better. If I lived closer I would come walk with you everyday. I need to get in shape for my upcoming Disney trips, too.

The first trip is a SURPRISE trip for our youngest DD5 Lexie. She thinks we are waiting to go back when she is 7 but we decided to go for Spring Break again this year. Caylin was supposed to be surprised by this trip too but overheard a convo between DH(Brandon) and I . Well SHE surprised US by saying that she really didnt want to go this year WHAT ARE YOU MY KID, QUICK GET A DOCTOR !!!! After MANY discussions we decided that she could stay with my sister and babysit for some extra money. She said that she thought it would be nice for Lexie to have her OWN trip like she did when she was little

BUT SHE AND I ARE GOING.... JUST US.... in September to celebrate our Bdays

Yes, I like YOU, have a twice a year Disney obsession, it would be more but that will come when WE retire on FL !!!! My DH said it would be cool for our Grandkids to think that WDW is in our backyard !!! He's not even as crazy as I am so THIS is COOL.

I PLAN and PLAN and PLAN some more, to the point that I drive the family crazy. I LOVE IT !!!

Well, I just wrote a mini novel on YOUR PTR !!! So sorry, I guess I COULD write my OWN PTR and TR, maybe I can squeeze that in in the next few days, in between packing and DISing and walking, and waking early ( I do that too ) Yeps I just might do, it !!

Hope to read more soon, can't wait !!!!

p.s. your sisters also reminded me of my sisters !!!! I wish I had one that lived closer

 

[tiggerbell]

Brandi-

I would not have thought it was strange to get a PM from you - I've read several completed reports and have PM'd the writers... that's my biggest complaint about the Completed TR section. I love that you can get the whole story at once, but sometimes you'd like to tell them you enjoyed their report...

You read them all in one weekend??? WOW! Even I don't do that! And I do occasionally go back and read my reports... I still crack myself up with the Chinese food and TV Laugh story!

I wish I could remember enough to go back and write the reports for all the other trips I took before I found this board, but there's just no way. I think I will scan a bunch of the old pictures though...

I wonder what'd I have to do to get Rhonda to pull out the slide projector to take pictures of the slides... most of the vacations of the 70s and 80s are on slides.

Every few years we watch them all, then talk about getting them transferred to another form of media, then put it all away and forget about it for a few more years.

 

[tiggerbell]

It seems the trend lately is to post old Disney shots - what a great idea!!! I used to be young. I used to be thin. I used to be young and thin.

So, a reminder of me NOW:

And THEN - 1986 Disney / Cruise:

 

[duncanssweetie]

Love the pictures !!!

You look fabulous!!!

keep it coming, and I hope you had a great weekend !!

 

[princessjv]

I gotta live through you. I have no trips in my near furture and you have 2. I'm a bit green over here...

Can't wait to here the details. Good for you to start your packing...of the important stuff, that is

 

[tiggerbell]

princessvj -

I only have 2 more years to plan Disney trips - once we move down there, I won't get to do the big planning portion of a Disney trip - sure, I'll be there all the time, but I know I'll miss this part - the planning, the anticipation, the posting of the pre-trip and trip report.

Brandi
Thanks... I have some more pictures to add tonight - some new items purchased for this trip!

 

[tiggerbell]

It's March 1st, so..................


I GET TO GO TO DISNEY NEXT MONTH!!!!!

 

[TiggerandTink]

Just checking in and letting you know I am reading and waiting for more....

Love the pictures!!

 

[smidgy]

you'll be there just before us. we will see the nelsons, davy jones, and bj thomas (same as last year, but nelsons instead of association). I wish they would mix up the order of the bands a bit, as people tend to go about the same time. maybe WE should change the taime of year we go for once (gasp! did Nebo hear me use the word "change")

 

[nebo]

So, this is the land where trip reports are conceived. I've never been here before, looks kinda like a nursery.
Oh look, there is little Jaime in her cute little pink blankie. But soon, she will grow up into a giant end of April trip report.
Ahh, they grow up so quickly.
I have to admit, she's got it worse than me, judging by the dates. She was writing pre trip reports, pre trip reports. And no, I'm not being redundant.

I gotta live through you. I have no trips in my near furture and you have 2. I'm a bit green over here...

Well, actually Princessjv; I believe she has 3 trips planned for this year. And, she's also cheating. She's flying down there this next trip. A real man would,,,,,, oh. never mind. Keep it up Jaime, hope you like the French Quarter as much as we did. It's awful pretty to walk around at night. But the pool stinks. sorry, maybe you'll like it.

 

[tiggerbell]

Tiggerandtink –

Looking at your signature, it seems we might be in WDW at or around the same time – what are your dates and where are you staying?

Smidgy –

I wish they had left my week of the schedule the same, then I’d get to see all of the Paul Revere and the Raiders show! And you can’t change the time of year you go – nebo and I have an agreement, you always get there as I’m leaving!

Nebo –

Took you long enough to find this little corner of the world! And thanks for blowing my cover – Princessjv was already envious (not the same definition, by the by, as jealous, right smidgy?!) of my 2 trips, I was trying not to rub it in that the 3rd was in the works… although, actually, that might have changed. Thanks to the stupid foot injury and surgery, I’m gonna be playing it fast and loose with the number of days off of work… so I don’t know about a third trip THIS YEAR. That leaves next year. Meg wants to go early or late – she hates HOT. Rhonda wants to go when it’s HOT. I think the only possible solution is for me to go with Meg when it’s not hot and with Rhonda when it is hot. Sounds fair, right??? So that would make 4 trips in the works… but let’s not tell anyone and have them get enviouser… (yes, smidgy, I made that word up! But nebo does that all the time!)

And now for the pictures I promised the other day. Sorry I didn’t post them right away, I was exhausted from kicking butt at work in Boggle! I can post the scores, they’ll never look here: Lucy = 6, Cathy = 9, Jaime = 86. Yup. See why I was so tired?

These are my Disney items waiting for me to pack and/or wear:

And I promise right here in front of you all as witnesses: I WILL NOT CARRY THIS PURSE WITH THESE SHOES!

 

[TiggerandTink]

We get there almost right as your leaving. We fly in late on the 4th and will be there until the 13th of May. This is our first trip to WDW and reading all of these TRs has me sooooooo excited. We are staying at the All Star Movies.

 

[TiggerandTink]

Tiggerandtink –

And I promise right here in front of you all as witnesses: I WILL NOT CARRY THIS PURSE WITH THESE SHOES!

Oh come on it might be fun. You could capture all the "precious" looks you get from the strangers checking out your attire.