M-I-C-K-E-Y...Because We Love It! Our October 2007 PreTrip

[luvmy2sams]

Trip reports have gotten me through those long, dry periods between our visits to Orlando. I’ve laughed and even cried through several reports, but have no such high standards for my own reporting. I simply hope to compile my memories into a somewhat cohesive form so that I can one day sit in my granny rocker and relive the “good old days” when the kiddos were still young and we were planning yet another adventure to ride a flying elephant, sail the seas with a few pirates, and dine with a giant Mouse.

I was one of the unfortunate souls who never made it to Disney World before becoming an adult. The closest I ever got was some Disney on Parade tour back in the mid-70’s. I was only about 4 years old, and my mom drove me to the “big city” to see this production. I remember walking into what seemed a huge concert hall and climbing up lots of steps to find our seats. I don’t remember details of the show, but I do remember the emotions, that feeling seeing Mickey and the gang brought out in me. It was magical! Besides that isolated moment, the closest I ever got to Disney was my Scholastic Disney book subscription and watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. I don’t remember feeling like I was missing out on some rite of passage. Going to Disney World was something that people in my small town didn’t do. It was just some fantastical world a million miles away. I escaped there as I sat on my Mickey Mouse comforter, reading Uncle Remus and his tales of Brer Rabbit for the thousandth time.

My DH was one of the fortunate ones, if that’s how you choose to classify him. He made the long drive from Oklahoma to Florida with his grandmother and assorted cousins on two separate spring break trips while in high school. He remembers staying offsite and hitting the highlights of the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. It was the mid-80’s, and he probably would have rather stayed in bed and played video games. Still, he has some great memories with family. Isn’t that what it’s all about after all?

Fast-forward to 2000. DH and I had just purchased our first home, and we had a little extra cash in our pockets. DH suggested that we book a trip to Disney World. His basic pitch was that we’d never taken a honeymoon, and October 2000 was our 10th anniversary (of dating, not marriage). As an added incentive, he claimed it would be fun to check out the tires he’d designed for the new Test Track ride. Call it a “business trip”, if you must. I reluctantly agreed. We’d never been on a true vacation, and it would be a treat for our then almost 2-year-old DD. We drove to Orlando, stayed at ASMovies for a week, and had the trip of a lifetime. We didn’t do much research (had booked a package for goodness sake!), and we didn’t know the difference.

On our first morning in the Magic Kingdom, DH is filming me as I push DD in her stroller under the train station. I’m making my usual sarcastic remarks about Disney’s mass merchandising when DH interrupts to say “look up!” As we rounded the curve by the Confectionary, I looked up and saw Cinderella Castle. I gasped. I don’t know in retrospect why it surprised me so. After all, I did at least know that the Castle was at the hub of the Magic Kingdom. In that instant I was transported back to that little girl in Oklahoma that read her Scholastic Cinderella book over and over again, looking at the drawings on the opening cover and wishing myself into that world. I was her again. And more importantly, I was there. I was really there. That’s all it took. The battle was over before it even really began. We were bitten hard by the Mouse…and we didn’t mind a bit.

Up Next: Disney 2007 is in the works!

 

[luvmy2sams]

We’ve been to Disney World four more times since that first trip in October 2000. Each trip has had its own surprises and hardships. I found out I was pregnant with DS a week before our 2002 trip. DH surprised me with a Gifts of a Lifetime event for my 31st birthday, which I almost missed. Let’s just say that morning sickness and boat transportation from the Wilderness Lodge to the Magic Kingdom do not make for a happy mommy. 2004 held two trips: October with the kiddos and December/January without said kiddos for our 10th wedding anniversary. An added travel companion for the long-anticipated anniversary trip was two herniated discs. How much fun is that while riding BTMR? January 2006 was a surprise birthday present for DD.

Okay, so we’re now up-to-date in a relative nutshell. After our Mouse bite in 2000, we realized that it’s much easier to leave the World when there’s another trip in the works, or better yet booked. Some people aspire to retire and live out their golden years in peace and harmony. DH and I aspire to retire to Florida and take any CM position (with the exception of bathroom cleaners) that will enable us to fund our addiction without actually looking like Mouse-addicted 70 year olds. Oh, who are we kidding? If you don’t get the magic that is Disney, then IMO you’re really not going to get much of anything anyway. We’ll be wearing Mickey ears and waiting hours for the Main Street parade while ramming others with our ECVs one day. If you’re reading this, then you understand.

Our original goal was to have a big “We’re out of debt and we’re staying at the Poly!” bash in December 2007. Why the Polynesian and not the Grand Floridian? To each his own and all that, but we’re not GF fans…at all. The Polynesian is our Grand Floridian. Funny how life has a way of saying “Oh, you’ve got plans? You’ve got a bit of savings and a timeline?” Well, here’s a big load of life headed your way, and none of it is on sale or discounted or even relatively easy to navigate. Let’s scratch that “We’re out of debt” thing. It’s not happening this year, but it’s on schedule to make an appearance next year. So, we’ve established that we have some debt, love Disney and loathe the Grand Floridian. With those important details meted out, we had the added complication of changing DD’s school. Changing schools meant that she’d be attending a school with an actual attendance policy as opposed to some arbitrary system that favored those donating the most money or volunteer hours. Missing 10 days just before Christmas break while at a new school doesn’t sound like such a good idea to us, so we changed our vacation to fall over DD’s fall break. This way she’ll only miss 4 days. We also downgraded our lodging. Staying Deluxe is our reward for having all our ducks in a row. Our ducks have been shot and feathered this year, so we’re staying at Pop.

Truth be told, we like the Value resorts. ASMovies was our first love, and we’d probably be there if not for the shoddy treatment we received on our last trip. It will always be special for us, and when the smell of smoke and the memory of my son’s bloody forehead eases, we’ll probably return. The Wilderness Lodge is simply beautiful, and we’d live there if we could. Do they allow that yet? We leave it dangling out there, along with the Poly, as a symbol of hope and reward when we finally send off that last student loan payment.

We’re excited about experiencing Pop for the first time. We’re looking forward to the Goofy pop jets and to not sharing buses with two other resorts. When it comes down to it, we really don't care where we lay our heads at nights (within reason). We're just looking forward to time together, experiencing the magic that you can only find in that World.

For those of you keeping track: We’re a family of four headed to Pop Century. Our trip begins October 12th (if you ask me) or October 13th (according to authoritarian DH) and ends on October 23rd.

Up next: Introducing My Family

 

[luvmy2sams]

Cast of Characters:

DH35-- -- tire designer by trade; loves his family, video games and the assorted beverage ; affectionately referred to as "Goofy Daddy"

Me35-- -- SAHM gearing up for a return to college in January; resident chauffeur and scrapbooker

DD8-- -- slightly sarcastic charmer; recently graduated from the princesses to High School Musical, which traumatized and ; anxiously awaiting her first ride on RNR

DS4-- -- our loveable sweet boy; loves Stitch, Spiderman and the Ninja Turtles; gets most anything he wants by flashing his smile; can't wait to ride the big rides

Guest Appearances by:
BF--ooh: -- our good friend and babysitter/petsitter/housesitter; a dynamo woman that makes it easy for us to leave our fur babies behind; bound to make an appearance or two with requests from the World

Daisy and Zoe -- our ultra-spoiled 12.5 year old cocker spaniel and 3 year old lab--often referred to as "the girls"; is sure to be ticked off at our departure and is sure to destroy multiple rolls of toilet paper in protest

It seems like only yesterday that we were ringing in the new year and discussing all the little milestones we'd have to pass before October arrived. Our last major mile marker was the start of football season and the beginning of school. Well, preseason started last weekend, and DD begins 3rd grade a week from Friday. Where did the year go?

Remember being a little kid and impatiently waiting to be all grown up? Summers seemed to last forever, and I thought I'd never be old enough to drive a car. I can remember my grandma telling me not to rush things, that I'd soon enough be grown up and then time would just fly. I now know what she was talking about all those years ago. Since having kids, it seems that someone has pushed the fast-forward button in my life. Seasons rush by and the kids get older, but it seems like only yesterday I was heading off for my first year of college.

If only I could figure out how to slow down this time thing once we hit Orlando air space...

 

[luvmy2sams]

DH and I are never content to simply make a Disney reservation and leave it alone. Seems that our rule is to modify as often as possible, whenever the mood strikes us. Tinkering to perfection, I guess. We booked our trip to Pop Century in January (I think ) as a room-only standard room reservation with the AAA discount. Months passed by and the natives became restless. Our 180-day ADR reservation mark came up in early April, and it was around this time that we began to consider changing to a package and adding on the dining plan. We'd done the plan on our last visit, and it seemed to work pretty well for us. After listing all the must-do character dining experiences, we were within $100 of what we had budgeted for meals. It only made sense to add dining. A quick phone call later we were rebooked into a preferred room at Pop with the dining plan.

DH then began investigating historical discount release dates. We noted that discounts were typically released mid-August...and promptly forgot all about it. Who does that when planning a Disney vacation? Certainly, not us! It was totally out of character and evidenced the fact that we REALLY NEED A VACATION!

I was at my parents' house in west Texas when I logged onto the DIS one August afternoon and saw that Disney Visa discount codes had been released that morning. There's no way...no how. Discounts for our time period at Pop were hard enough to come by. There's no way that I'd have any luck calling at 4pm on the release date. I had to try, anyway, though. Of course, there was no availability at all. The CM almost tempted me into an upgrade to the Wilderness Lodge for $1400 more than I was currently paying. I even toyed with changing to PORiverside for just a couple hundred more than Pop. That Disney math can do funny things to your brain!

I'd learned my lesson the hard way and was committed to getting first dibs when the general public codes were released a few days later. Not really....we forgot again until after 10am. Maybe this was a sign? Yep. WE NEED THIS VACATION! I said a silent prayer and dialed the 800 number. When the fantastic CM answered, I asked him to check the code and told him that there probably wasn't any availability. He laughed, agreed, and pulled up our information. Then came the most beautiful sound I'd heard all morning long...."I don't believe it! Do you mind switching to standard view if it'll save you $700?" Do I mind? I believe I can walk the extra yards in exchange for that sum. The CM was in as much shock as I was and stated that he had just finished a call with a woman who was trying for the same dates at Pop with the code. There was nothing. Thank you to whomever called and canceled or changed their booking in those minutes. We were going on this trip regardless, but we just hate paying more than what our neighbor might be paying.

The world was a beautiful place. I'd just saved us $700.80 with a simple phone call. What could be better? Well, when you live in my world, you soon learn that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. My equal reaction occurred a few days later. I was innocently closing my car door after transferring DS4's booster seat back over from BF's car. I shut the door and heard a familiar noise. The seat belt had slipped and was keeping the door from shutting fully. No big deal, right? I open the door to find DS's seat belt sticking into the passenger door. Cost to repair the hole? $657 plus labor.

Welcome to my year!

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Hi! Love the TR so far, I'm in! Especially since I will be in The World at the same time you are, and also staying at POP! It seems like that arrival day will never come but somehow I hope the time goes by quickly for you!

 

[luvmy2sams]

Never content to just have smooth sailing, DH and I began reading DD8's new school policy manual. Anal and obsessive? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely. We knew that the attendance policy would be stricter (read: exist) in DD's new school, but we didn't have specifics. We decided to play it as safe as possible by scheduling our trip around Fall Break so that DD would miss as little classtime as possible.

I've read all the debates about pulling kids out vs. not doing so, and I honestly can see both sides of it. This will probably be the last time that DD misses school for a vacation. I'm going back to college in January to become a teacher , and I know that missing college classes for a vacation won't work for me. It's going to be challenging enough just returning to school for the first time in TOO MANY years. DD's only in the 3rd grade. She's a smart cookie, and she can easily handle missing four days of class.

But, back to DD's school's policy. Vacations are considered unexcused absences. All DD's missed work can be made up, but according to policy, she'll automatically be penalized 10% on each missed assignment. This is a BIG DEAL for DD. She's a bit of a perfectionist, and we don't want her ticked off because our vacation is effectively punishing her gradewise. We break this news to DD, fully expecting her to question things. Instead, we get a refreshing response: "Mom, it doesn't really matter what the grade on your paper is. What matters is how much you learn and can remember." That's our girl!

Our minds are made up. We're taking this vacation regardless of how frowned upon it is by her teacher and the administration. We'll do everything we can to make this as easy as possible on everyone, but WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY! Despite this positive mindset, I'm still nervous as all get out on the drive to our scheduled parent-teacher conference. We opted to tell DD's teacher in person instead of simply sending in a letter. Isn't that the better way to go? DD's teacher is a first year, so surely she'll be very by the book, and this might not be received well. How come two 35-year-old adults can still be intimidated by a 20-something-year-old school teacher? We don't want DD to be singled out for any reason, and we're becoming quite obsessed regarding whether this vacation was such a good idea or not. Just how unforgiving is this administration? Maybe we are awful parents? Should we just eat the airfare cost and go over spring break? You would not believe the bazillion questions that cross our minds during the 7-minute drive to school.

We had an uneventful parent-teacher conference, confirming that we have absolutely made the right decision for our daughter by pulling her out of private school and placing her in this district. We're so excited by the prospects that lie before DD in the coming year, yet we decide to tempt fate and lay all our cards on the table. We inform DD's teacher that DD will be missing 4 days of school in October because we're pulling a big no-no and taking a vacation. DD's teacher tells us that she won't miss much for the first two missed days because of scheduled assemblies, etc. However, she will miss some work on the last two days. "Where are you headed?" she asks. We tell her, and her face lights up. DD's teacher is from Orlando! Her parents still live there, and she goes home every year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and part of summer break. She's instantly talking about all the fantastic things Disney has to offer. We're getting info on Universal Studios and tips on where to stay and what to do. Could this meeting have gone any better?

We leave the meeting promising to send in a reminder letter the week before DD will be absent. Her teacher will prepare all her missed work so DD can complete it on the plane...for full credit. Vacations are important, and Orlando is a wonderful place, her teacher says.

Yes, it is.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Hi! Love the TR so far, I'm in! Especially since I will be in The World at the same time you are, and also staying at POP! It seems like that arrival day will never come but somehow I hope the time goes by quickly for you!

I have an actual reader! Yippee!

Hope you have a fantastic trip! It seems like arrival date is taking forever. We're just glad to finally be able to say "We're going to Disney NEXT month!"

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Just noticed your location. We lived in Rochester for a few years right out of college. Beautiful part of the country!

 

[luvmy2sams]

DH is the planner in our family. I research and offer suggestions, and it's up to DH to sort through the information and come up with the best gameplan for our vacations. This works well because #1: I'm no good in Excel and #2 It's DH's fault if the plan is rotten.

DH has reduced his planning to an artform. He's created an Excel spreadsheet that holds more information than any super-computer out there. I don't dare venture too deeply into it, but I'll critique the printouts at face value. According to the most recent spreadsheet (and going against most of Tour Guide Mike's touring advice), this is what we'll be up to around the World:

October 12th
**Disclaimer #1: DH doesn't consider this a vacation date. I do. In my mind, once we're backing out of the driveway in our fully-loaded SUV, we are on vacation. **
*Drive to DFW
*Possible dinner at Rainforest Cafe
*Check into hotel for a few hours of rest before our early flight

October 13th
*7am flight to MCO
*Arrive at MCO around 11am, Magical Express to Pop
*Check in, followed by lunch and pool time
*Dinner at Chef Mickey's
*Magic Kingdom for Spectomagic and Wishes (please don't be HallowWishes!)

October 14th
*Magic Kingdom w/counterservice lunch
*Epcot evening w/dinner at San Angel
*Illuminations

October 15th
*Hollywood & Vine character breakfast
*Full MGM day
*Dinner at 50's Prime Time
*Fantasmic!

October 16th
*Sleep in!
*Late breakfast at 'OHana with Stitch and friends
*Downtown Disney shopping fix
*Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique surprise
*Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern
*MNSSHP

October 17th
*Free Day

October 18th
*Magic Kingdom
*Lunch at Crystal Palace
*Epcot evening
*Illuminations

October 19th
*Epcot morning
*Lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe
*Magic Kingdom evening
*Wishes (again, please don't show HallowWishes!}

October 20th
*Pirate cruise for DD8 and DS4
*Adults only breakfast at Kona Cafe--yeah Tonga Toast!

October 21st
*Donald's Breakfastasaurus
*Animal Kingdom all day
*Dinner at Boma

October 22nd
*Our last day
*CRT breakfast
*Magic Kingdom until we drop

October 23rd
*Depart for airport way too early because Airtran canceled our nonstop afternoon flight.
*Arrive home and begin making plans for Disney Part VII!

**Disclaimer #2**
We always do a spreadsheet for our trips. After all, planning is half the fun and makes the anticipation that much sweeter! However, we've been known to completely chuck the plan upon arrival. I have no doubt that there will be last minute calls to Disney Dining and all sorts of schedule changes (with the exception of our traditional Chef Mickey's and CRT dates).

This schedule hits all our favorites and gives us lots of flexibility. There are new attractions at all four parks, and we're determined to experience all of them. We've had only two disappointments thus far. We're completely bummed that BTMRR will be rehabbing while we're there. We'd been talking up this ride to DS4 for months, and he was so excited to ride. We were looking forward to experiencing it for the first time as a complete family, and we're secretly hoping that it'll open a few days ahead of schedule.

Our second disappointment is that Teppanyaki will still be closed. It was originally scheduled to open in early October, and we had an ADR there for our first Epcot evening. Disney Dining called a few weeks ago, and we were forced to make other plans. Quite a bummer since everyone was looking forward to another great experience there.

In the grand scheme of things, though, there will be plenty of other things going on, and we probably won't notice (well, okay, we'll miss BTMRR) what we're missing. We're just glad to be going and are looking forward to every minute of every day. Besides, now we have an excuse to come back sooner rather than later...as if we needed an excuse.

 

[disneydreamer1970]

I am loving your pre-trippie!! We are not leaving for 13 months and these are what keeps me going. Have a great vacation and I'm going to keep on reading.

Trish

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Thanks for stopping by my pre-trippie! It always feels good to have readers. MK on the 13th won't have Hallowishes, that's only on Party nights and Saturday is not one. We'll be running from Illuminations to MK, hopefully in time to catch the 10:00 Spectro. From the looks of your itinerary you've got everything covered!

I LOVE living in Geneseo, I can't wait to go to Letchworth in a few weeks to take in the foliage. Fall is my favorite season!

 

[Avivasmom]

Great report so far.

I am taking DD out of school again this year for a week...I had a great letter that I give to the teacher and they are very understanding...she is in 1st grade and I think family time is very important. DH works a lot many hours OT.

We go the week after Thanksgiving...cannot wait.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Thanks for stopping by my pre-trippie! It always feels good to have readers. MK on the 13th won't have Hallowishes, that's only on Party nights and Saturday is not one. We'll be running from Illuminations to MK, hopefully in time to catch the 10:00 Spectro. From the looks of your itinerary you've got everything covered!

I LOVE living in Geneseo, I can't wait to go to Letchworth in a few weeks to take in the foliage. Fall is my favorite season!

I've read several threads talking about how the MK switches over from Wishes to Hallowishes by mid-October. Last year they showed Hallowishes on non-party nights, too. Hopefully that won't be the case this time around.

Have so much fun at Letchworth! I've got some great pics from our drives down there. Enjoy the trails. DH and I had such a good time walking the trails and enjoying the beautiful waterfalls and changing leaves. You can't even describe the colors to people who've never seen it in person.

 

[luvmy2sams]

I am loving your pre-trippie!! We are not leaving for 13 months and these are what keeps me going. Have a great vacation and I'm going to keep on reading.

Trish

Thanks for stopping by! Trip reports are one of my favorite ways to pass the time. I've been known to read for hours and hours. In fact, I was reading some of the pre-trips for Christmas/New Years this afternoon and mentioned something to DH about how much fun we had on our adults only NYE trip a few years ago. Long story short, we're now booked on an adults only trip next December. Our anniversary is on NYE, which makes for a fantastic excuse to take a trip to the World!

13 months seems like a long time, but believe me, it will fly by, and you'll be there before you know it!

Great report so far.

I am taking DD out of school again this year for a week...I had a great letter that I give to the teacher and they are very understanding...she is in 1st grade and I think family time is very important. DH works a lot many hours OT.

We go the week after Thanksgiving...cannot wait.

It makes all the difference when the teacher is understanding. My DH gets caught in the OT crunch, too, and since they're currently understaffed, he's got to take vacation when it's easiest for him to get away from the office.

Have fun on your trip! You're going at a wonderful time (as if there's a bad time to go or something). We took a trip during that time period several years ago and absolutely loved the weather and low crowds.

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

I've read several threads talking about how the MK switches over from Wishes to Hallowishes by mid-October. Last year they showed Hallowishes on non-party nights, too. Hopefully that won't be the case this time around.

Oh, I was under the impression regular Wishes was on the non-party nights. Maybe as it gets closer to Halloween they switch to all Hallowishes all the time. I hope it's regular for you!

 

[luvmy2sams]

We're almost to the 30 day mark! There's something exciting about being able to say 'I'M GOING TO DISNEY NEXT MONTH!" The only thing better is when you get to change the "next month" to "today".

I've been looking back over my PassPorter, trying to consolidate all those tips that I've jotted down on random pieces of paper. I swear that next time around I'll be completely organized from the beginning. Oh, who am I kidding? Next time around I'll have two kids in school, and I'll be back in college. There will be increased chaos, I'm sure.

There are so many little things that I like to do for the trip, but I don't like doing them too far in advance. I think that now I can safely start my full-blown crunch-time countdown. I've got autograph clipboards to finish, a travel journal to make for DD8, and a coloring/activity book to do for DS4. I'm sure there are a hundred other small things that I'll think of in the days to come, too.

Our first official act was to make our yearly countdown calendar. We've done some type of countdown for every trip, and we had lots of fun utilizing my WishBlade for the Disney script this time around. Here's a sneak peek at where we stand as of this morning...

I've made all family members promise not to stash dirty clothes in hidden corners, so that all the laundry will be done when I'm ready to start packing...SOON! We leave for Dallas after DD gets out of school and DH gets home from work on Friday, October 12th. I'm leading a Bible study that morning, so everything has got to be pretty much done by the time we go to bed on Thursday.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who must have a clean house before we leave town. A dear friend pet and dog sits for us while we're out of town, so the obvious places have to be clean. I'm just not quite sure why I also insist on having freshly organized closets. It's not like our friend is going to be critiquing us on whether all our hangers point in the right direction.

We've purchased a new camera...finally! Anyone else feel that preparing for Disney is just as expensive as the actual trip? I'll be posting photos of the kiddos (at the very least) as soon as I get everything working the way it's supposed to work.

 

[princessjv]

Your trip plans are wonderful!

I do believe you will be at the POP at the same time as us. We are doing a mini meet on the 17th, in the PM, are you free?

 

[luvmy2sams]

Your trip plans are wonderful!

I do believe you will be at the POP at the same time as us. We are doing a mini meet on the 17th, in the PM, are you free?

Thanks for the meet info! We will definitely try to make it. The kids are in charge that day, so we'll definitely need to BYOB to the pool!

 

[Honeymooner04]

I'm totally digging your pre-trip report, especially since you're a COWBOY fan!
We'll actually be in Disney World the same time so I'll keep my eye out for a fellow Okie! Have a great trip!

 

[luvmy2sams]

I'm totally digging your pre-trip report, especially since you're a COWBOY fan!
We'll actually be in Disney World the same time so I'll keep my eye out for a fellow Okie! Have a great trip!

Love the pic! We'll be the family wearing Pokes or Joe's tees most days. Finding something orange for MNSSHP isn't a problem around here.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[luvmy2sams]

Vacation preparations have gone into overdrive in the past few days. Last Friday marked one week until we leave for Disney. Now DH and I differ on this countdown thing. My opinion is that we are officially on vacation when we pull out of the driveway with no plans to return until post-Disney. DH, on the other hand, maintains that the vacation does not begin until we are officially at the airport. Since this is my trip report, I win.

We're leaving for Dallas and an overnight hotel stay on Friday....this week! Our flight leaves DFW at the unholy hour of 7am Saturday morning. Whose insane idea was that one, I ask?

Anyway...we're not content to have a simple countdown calendar and be done with it. There must be an official "one week till Disney" celebration, and I play the part of your lovely host. A cake was ordered for our Saturday celebration (which technically was 6 days until Disney, but I can be a nice wife), and we were pumped.

I'm still ticked off about the cake. I ordered this from WalMart, and it was supposed to have Stitch AND Lilo. DH picked the cake up, and the bakery insisted that everything was on the cake that belonged there. Being a typical DH, he didn't argue, so we're stuck explaining to DS4 where Lilo's run off to. I console myself with the knowledge that if this is the biggest problem in my life, then I've got it pretty good.

When DD put the Mickey paint chip over day 8 on Friday morning, she asked what the celebration would be like that evening. Um...."we're not doing the celebration until tomorrow night, sweetie." Devastation washes over her sweet face. Not good. Anyone with an 8-year-old Type A DD knows that there's a distinct possibility of a mood swing in the very,very near future. "But, Mom, we ALWAYS celebrate at 7 days. Tomorrow will be 6." So, being the sucker that I am, I pick up a 12-pack of Nemo cupcakes for a mini-celebration on Friday night.

We're now 4 days from departure, and my pants don't fit. However, we don't have to worry about having left-over, wasted cakes and cupcakes. That's me...always willing to take one for the team.