MISSION:Implausible

[mickiecake]

My mission, if I choose to accept it:

Deliver a family of 4 safely to Orlando, Fla. on Feb 2, 2008.

Proceed directly to the resort known as Walt Disney World.

Provide food, shelter and entertainment during a high-expectation vacation, while vigilantly scanning for Hidden Mickeys and the perfect keepsake. Note: it is unknown at this time if "Hidden Mickeys" are dangerous.

Proceed with caution.
NOTE: Mission must be completed with only $200 and NO CREDIT CARD

Your brain will explode in 10 seconds

 

[mickiecake]

Ok.. so it's not QUITE that bad... Let's start with the cast of characters:

ME!! Mickie, age 31. Quirky (read:weird) home based cake decorator & PTO Queen at the boys school. Yuh, I am the cakelady.

Yup. Those are my cakes. I make everything by hand. It's ALL edible. See those baby bottles up there? On the "Classic Pooh" cake? Yea, those bad boys were smaller than a quarter. Modelling chocolate, Yum Yum. Want more? I know ya do...
http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/creativecakery/

 

[mickiecake]

So besides my wonderful self, there is my DH ,
Doug (aka Papa) woodworking genious and guitarman

Custom carpenter, guitar genius and all around fun guy

And my 8 year old twin boys:

Ashe, the Mad Scientist

and Rowan, future "Army Guy"

and of course, our beloved cat, Fluffy Nugget (aka Peanut Butter Cottontoes)

Wowee.. those are BIG pics.. I gotta figure out how to fix that!!

 

[DisneyDadFaNaTic]

I waited ten seconds for my brain to explode: all I got was a brief phizz and a puff of smoke! I guess it needed more to work with!

Great way to start! Now all I hear in my head is: bm bm bmbm bm bmbm (which is how I write the Mission Impossible theme)!

Can't wait to read more! (Was your husband thrilled with your picture choice??? ((No offense meant if he liked it!!!))).

 

[mickiecake]

And now for a little background:

We don't have alot of money. Don't get me wrong, we are warm and fed and comfortable. But in the 8 years DH and I have been married, we have never once been on a real vacation. 5 years ago, my grandfather had a massive stroke. Now, to put things in perspective, I was raised by my grandparents near Atlanta, GA until I was 16 years old. At which point I moved out, got my GED and my own place, but that's another story.
My grandmother refused to put him in a nursing home, so she cared for him at home. His hospital bed was in the living room, and she slept on the couch. They were both in their early 70s at this point.

Now, my gfather weighing in at 300 lbs, and her at about half that, she undertook a hurculean task in caring for him. He was completly bedridden, paralyzed on one side and crazy as a bedbug. So we decided to pack it up and move down there to help her. We lived with them for 2 years, which was a horribly difficult time, and put a great strain on my happy marriage and my kids. I love my gmother dearly, but she can be cruel and hurtful when she wants to (which is most of the time).

So, after one huge blowout with her, after months of escalating tension, we decided to move back to Myrtle Beach (most of our family is here). I helped her arrange for a nurse to come 3 times a week, and left. It was very hard to leave her, and I still have alot of guilt over it, but I had to do what was best for my boys.

In the 3 years since then, we have made trips to Atlanta 3 times a year. Although technically, I suppose it would be considered a vacation, the only thing we seemed to vacate was REST! We spent those weeks cleaning house from stem to stern, fixing toilets and roofs and sink leaks. Hoisting my gfather into a wheelchair (no easy task!) every day b/c the nurses would not do it. Basically just helping my gmother do all the things she couldn't by herself.

One time, we DID take the boys to the GA Aquarium & the Natural History Museum while we were there. Man, oh man!! That was the closest we have ever come to a real vacation, and we had sooo much fun!! This was almost 2 years ago, and the boys STILL talk about it!!

 

[Phibbles]

Sounds like you really deserve a Disneycation.

 

[mickiecake]

I waited ten seconds for my brain to explode: all I got was a brief phizz and a puff of smoke! I guess it needed more to work with!

Great way to start! Now all I hear in my head is: bm bm bmbm bm bmbm (which is how I write the Mission Impossible theme)!

Can't wait to read more! (Was your husband thrilled with your picture choice??? ((No offense meant if he liked it!!!))).

I just KNEW that brain-exploding code was bunk!

About Doug's picture.. um.. : well.. he hasn't exactly seen it... .. but I sure he would LOVE it... .. I guess I should at least say they're fake teeth... just in case ... um... I LOVE YOU, BABY!!
Look! You can't be mad.... we're going to DISNEY!!

 

[DisneyDadFaNaTic]

I'm sure he will forgive you! I mean, how can you stay mad with a WDW trip in your future? DW always gets on my case for being goofy in pictures. It is completely understandable!

Keep up the good work!

 

[mickiecake]

DATELINE: April, 2007

{Ring Ring} (that's my phone)

Mickie: (slightly exapserated) Hello?

Terra: (all comes out in a breathless rush) Hey! Listen! We just booked a last minute Disney trip for Sprink Break next week and we got this SWEET deal on a rental house and we have 2 extra bedrooms, you guys should come and you'd only have to buy your tickets and food!!

Mickie: ...

Terra: Hello? Hello?

At this point I my heart starts pounding as I mentally balance my checkbook.. hmm... when is that electric bill due?...how heavy is the bucket o' change? (aka the savings account).. holy crap there's a dollar on the floor.. maybe the couch cushions..

Terra: Mickie?

Mickie: Yea, I'm here. There's just no way, girl. We could swing gas & food and everything, but aren't tickets expensive??

Terra: Well, for us they were about $1200.

Mickie: (sad, dejected, dissapointed) <sigh> There's just no way. I would love to go, but....

Terra: (also sad, dejected, dissappointed) Well, okay. If anything changes today, call me.

At that point I forget about the (partial) wedding cake sitting in the kitchen, and plop down on the sofa in the "Thinker" position. Hmm.. I've never pawned anything before, but this is an emergency if I ever had one.. Then suddenly



I could ask my grandmother to buy the tickets. They have TONS of loot! And I have never, never, never asked them for ANYTHING.. EVER!! But we are supposed to be going to see THEM next week.... I wonder...

{ring ring} (that's my grandmother's phone)

Betty: Hello?

Mickie: (insert breathless rush conversation here) and all we need is the tickets!! Would you maybe pay for them?? The boys would love it!!!! (holding my breath, literally)

Betty: ...

Mickie: (whoosh) <--- that's me breathing again. Mom?? (Don't forget, they raised me, so I call her Mom most of the time)

Betty: ...

Mickie: Hello?

Betty: I'm here. I don't think it's a good idea. Besides, you're coming down here to see US next week, aren't you?

Mickie: Yup, we sure are. Thanks anyway.. Love you...



Oh well, I got over it and moved on. The next week we proceeded to Atlanta as planned for a fun filled week of gutter cleaning and sponge baths

 

[DL55]

Boy those cakes look wonderful
You'll feel better knowing that you paid for trip yourself instead of borrowing $ (you know she'd probably want you to repay her)
I'm sure your kids will love anything you do.

 

[mickiecake]

Boy those cakes look wonderful
You'll feel better knowing that you paid for trip yourself instead of borrowing $ (you know she'd probably want you to repay her)
I'm sure your kids will love anything you do.

Thank you for your compliment!!

 

[mickiecake]

While we were in Atlanta for Spring Break, gmother pulls out an ad for Disney Vacations. She proceeded to tell me to call the 1-800 # to order DVDs for both of us, which I did. I didn't really think anything of it. I figured once she found out how much it REALLY costs to go to WDW, there'd be no way we'd ever set a toe in the MK. We got home. A few weeks later, the DVDs come. She called me after she watched hers to discuss how expensive it really is.. she was flabbergasted! Yea, it's changed alot since the 80s, Mom!

But I was cool with it. I figured we had missed the boat when we couldn't go in April (free lodgings and all). Soon after that, my mother was diagnosed with seizures and had to stop working. So, once again, we packed everything up to move in with a family member in need. Luckily, she lives in the same neighborhood, and we were only renting. So once I put my foot down about no smoking in the house, and she agreed, off we went to our shiny new.. um... bedroom. Ugh. Between moving, cakes, and being PTO President at the boys' school, I pretty much forgot about WDW.....

MAY......

JUNE......

JULY......

AUGUST

{ring ring} (that's my phone)

Mickie: Hello?

Betty: Hey, babe. Whatchya doin'?

Mickie: Not much, how's Daddy Red (my gfather) doing?

Betty: He's fine. Listen, you know how we ordered those DVDs?

Mickie: Huh? Oh! The Disney ones? Yeah.

Betty: Well, I decided to send you guys to Disney, to Thank You for all you've done for me & Dad. You have $5,000. Start looking, and call me next week so I can pay it on with my credit card. I gotta go, nurse is here. <click>

Mickie: ....

Mickie: ....

I think at this point I dropped the phone. I know I started crying. I'm a little teary eyed now, just thinking about it.

 

[DL55]

Oh WOW what a great surprise I just about fell out of my chair I didn't see that coming (Maybe I need to believe ) What a great gmother. Give her a hug for me

 

[mickiecake]

Oh WOW what a great surprise I just about fell out of my chair I didn't see that coming (Maybe I need to believe ) What a great gmother. Give her a hug for me

I felt the same way, DL! After months, no discussion, no "well, maybe"s, NOTHINg.. then POP! the Fairy Godmother (er, Grandmother) sprinkled pixie dust all over me!! I swear, she is so funny. I had to wait an hour and call her back just to make sure I heard her right.

 

[njdisneyfreak]

I got emotional just reading your posts, especially the last one. I can't even imagine the emotions going through you. You are going to have such an amazing time!!! Please, please, please, ask all of us Disers all the questions you need to, in order to make the most of your planning time. I am so excited for you!!! Your gmother rocks!

BTW, I love how you began your pre-trippie! That was a very creative approach.

 

[jordanyosh]

Okay I'm in. I will be at the WDW around the same time you are.

Your narrative has been great to read.

Check out this thread in the Happy Dance Forum. It lists all the DISers going in Feb

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1575880

Can't wait to read more.

 

[mickiecake]

I got emotional just reading your posts, especially the last one. I can't even imagine the emotions going through you. You are going to have such an amazing time!!! Please, please, please, ask all of us Disers all the questions you need to, in order to make the most of your planning time. I am so excited for you!!! Your gmother rocks!

BTW, I love how you began your pre-trippie! That was a very creative approach.

Thank you, everyone for the compliments!

I kinda of feel like I'm telling my life story here, but I think that the history of this trip, and how incredible special it is to us, is an important part of my pre trip report. When the report is finished, I am going to print it out and paste in in my Disney scrapbook!

 

[njdisneyfreak]

Thank you, everyone for the compliments!

I kinda of feel like I'm telling my life story here, but I think that the history of this trip, and how incredible special it is to us, is an important part of my pre trip report. When the report is finished, I am going to print it out and paste in in my Disney scrapbook!

It truly is amazing how much of ourselves ends up going into these reports, once they start. I was thinking of doing the same with my pre-trip report, so I can save it as a memory of the trip.

I can't wait to read more!

 

[mickiecake]

So, hardly able to believe that we are ACTUALLY GOING TO WDW , I fired up our 4 year old computer and began to cruise Disney's painfully user un-friendly website. Of course at first I made the "sky's the limit" itinerary. I know $5,000 is alot of money, but to us it is a FORTUNE, and I thought we could go VIP all the way for that much cash . I quickly realized my error, as my first attempt totalled over $10,000 . OOPS!

Unintimidated, I soldiered on. My friend Terra (of the original catalyst conversation in April) gave me her 2007 Unofficial Guide, which I viciously attacked in 3 colors of highlighter in an explosion of OCD energy. I actually did burn out a computer mouse during that week, but to my credit, the poor thing was ready for the gadget nursing home, anyway.

I knew I had ONE WEEK to wade through the brain squeezing complexity of planning a Disney vacation. When Betty says "Call me next week", she MEANS next week! And I had to emerge from this overwhelming, slightly traumatic process with a (near)perfect vacation in hand.

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT Episode: Headline: Woman Claims Disney Vacations Can Cause Your Skull To Explode

 

[Avivasmom]

YIPPEE you get to go to Disney how exciting...even better your mom is paying for it.

Your boys are adorable...they will have a blast.

And those cakes are amazing!