Mixed Marriage 2: The Conversion Continues..... now complete

[TwinkieMama]

Page 1 #1 The Saga Continues....
Pg 2 #19 Changes
Pg 3 #31 One thing leads to another
Pg 4 #49 Twinkie2000
#53 Setting a date
#56 The DIS made me do it
Pg 5 #72 Don't ask, Don't tell
# 74 The Method Behind the Madness
#75 Can I keep a Big Secret?
Pg 7 #93 Oh no!
Pg 8 #95 Conversations While Packing
#108 A Brilliant Idea
#110 The Big Reveal
#114 Twas the Night Before Disney
Pg 9 #126 I I-95
#129 When are you on property but not on property?
Pg 10 #136 Hey now, we're at the All Stars
#143 In Room 2321
Pg 11 #161 Hi ho, hi ho, to the Contemporary we go
#162 Chef Mickey's has a preshow?
#164 A napkin twirlin' good time
Pg 13 #182 An alarming momemt
Pg 14 #199 Twinkies on Safari
Pg 15 #215 A safari of a different sort
#222 Do Twinkies float?
Pg 16 #239 Dinosaur?
Pg 17 #244 It's Tough To Be a Parent
Pg 19 #271 The Dauntless Twinkies
#280 The Bus Ride
Pg 20 #299 The Secret of Life
Pg 22 #320 Is it dunch? or linner?
Pg 23 #337 The World Showcase
#341 The Parade aka Tapestry of Nations
Pg 24 #360 An Evening at Epcot
Pg 26 #380 A shocking statement!!!
Pg 27 #401 Shuwsh Shuwsh Floosh (also on pg 27#398 I explain the apparent bigamy)
Pg 28 #407 A Day of Rest
# 411 TwinkieMama Ventures Forth
Pg 29 #423 Rise and Shine
Pg 30 #449 At the Pool
Pg 33 #493 Hi ho, hi ho, to Downtown Disney we go
Pg 35 #521 Disney has a whole World of shopping?
Pg 37 #544 A Pivotal Moment
#547 Who is the responsible one here?
#555 Meet Crabopolis
Pg 38 #561 The Last Day Already?
#567 The Wake Up Call
Pg 39 #572 TwinkieMama Cheerleads
Pg 42 #616 The Magic Kingdom.... Finally!
Pg 43 #635 Loot or ride?
Pg 44 #651 Jungle Wishes
(Post number 652 is where UtahMama hijacks my trip report)
Pg 48 #708 A Pirate's Wardrobe for Him
#713 Living With The Land
Pg 49 #726 Food Rocks!
#733 Better Than Sliced Bread
Pg 52 #768 Illuminations on What Is Women's Work
#774 A Confession
#780 On the Boardwalk
Pg 53 #790 In the Middle of the Night
#795 The Final Accounting: An Epilogue


As you will recall (I had a calculus professor who said invariably said that every day... the real problem was that I didn't recall, apparently my brain is designed for remembering details of Disney vacations past and not for non-linear multi-variate functions.... hmm.... but I digress).....

I have been raised on trips to WDW thanks to grandparents who relocated to the Tampa area. DH had been once as a pre-teen and didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Despite his objections, mostly budgetary (is that a word?), I take DH and DS for a one day whirlwind tour of the MK. The day is truly magical-from DS being chosen to open Fantasyland to Tinkerbell’s flight. For more information, check out [thread=1158104]The Trip Report: How I got out of a mixed marriage[/thread].

You last saw us driving towards Tampa at approximately 11 pm on August 13th, 1998. DH is telling me how much he enjoyed our special day. So I decide to strike while the iron is hot and I tell him that I want to plan a return trip to WDW (he nods)
I would like to do it within a few years while DS is still young enough to appreciate the “magic” (he nods)
I would like to have an actual budget that includes souvenirs and a character dinner (another trip report within a trip report, (wow… Bill Shakespeare has nothin’ on me)…. My family took our biggest trip to WDW the October of 1981 for our introduction to EPCOT… we stayed at the contemporary for 3 nights and two shocking things happened… a) I overheard my parents (planners extraordinaire) call to see if we could extend our ressie by one day (no such luck) and b) our last morning we did not burn a park day but instead ate breakfast in the Contemporary (I have no idea what the restaurant was called…I was 6 … in fact I didn’t even realize the Contemp had a pool WITH A WATER SLIDE until I was an adult… my family wasted no time swimming while in Mickey’s World…. ) and Goofy came and ate with us!!! Other characters (Minnie, Chip, Dale) stopped by and gave hugs but Goofy actually sat at our table and wanted to drink my OJ and eat my dad’s croissant! This was huge- I knew I was royalty then and I am afraid I bragged rather shamelessly for years that I had eaten with Goofy. I am sure people just rolled their eyes at me but I was too young to care… ok back to the future which is now the past)
are you still with me honey... money for t-shirts and character dinners? (he nods)
I would like to stay onsite to experience Extra Magic Hours (formerly known as Surprise Mornings)… (He nods)…
I want to go to a water park which I had never done before (he looks somewhat skeptical)
And I want to go for a week….
And that is where I lost him.
Apparently the pixie dust has limits.

 

[princesslibby]

Yeah! You're back.

So how long until you got back?
How many days did you stay?
On or off property?
Character meal or CS?

I can't wait to find out.

 

[ohboyx3]

Yea! I can't wait to read more!!!

 

[deekaypee]

The Saga Continues....


You last saw us driving towards Tampa at approximately 11 pm on August 13th, 1998. DH is telling me how much he enjoyed our special day. So I decide to strike while the iron is hot and I tell him that I want to plan a return trip to WDW (he nods)
I would like to do it within a few years while DS is still young enough to appreciate the “magic” (he nods)
I would like to have an actual budget that includes souvenirs and a character dinner ([...]
I would like to stay onsite to experience Extra Magic Hours (formerly known as Surprise Mornings)… (He nods)…
I want to go to a water park which I had never done before (he looks somewhat skeptical)
And I want to go for a week….
And that is where I lost him.

Apparently the pixie dust has limits.

Ohh, I find that hard to believe!

And even if it does, I have a feeling that your charm doesn't have any limits.

I'm back for more and waiting eagerly!

 

[gigi1313]

you're off to a great start... cannot wait to hear what happens next... and truly hoping that you managed to squeak in a wdw vacation or two before 2006!

keep 'em comin'! PLEASE!!!

 

[CPer'sMom]

Count me in as another who's glad to see you are back with more! Looking forward to reading about the TwinkieFamily's 2nd WDW vacation

 

[flipflop]

twinks! you're back. excellent. fear not the lawyering ways. ZZUB is a lawyer - he's funny, of course it sounds like he has to go into court so, he probably has to maintain a sense of humor. I, practice a type of law that is too boring to speak of. so i won't. speak, that is.

loved the intro to this thread. you have given me hope that I, too, may convert DH into a disney lover. first trip since he was 12 coming up in Aug. sans triplets. yes, there are people foolish enough to want to watch 3, 14 month olds for 6 days. ain't life great?

 

[TwinkieMama]

ahh... flipflop....
2 of my 3 little ones have pink eye... is the trade still on?
also where did you brainwash, er, I mean find someone to watch littles?


pricesslibby: what is a carp worth? just for educational purposes...

everyone else: hi! love your encouraging words...

 

[chip91]

My guess is the Twinkies & Twinkettes' made it back to WDW - perhaps even more than 1x since that first ever magical journey as a family..

The anticipation of another TR from Mrs. Twinkie is as good as a baseball game in the bottom of the 9th, game is tied, 2 on, 2 out and a full count..the teams leading hitter is up, he swings and it's a long fly ball to center field, it's up and it's..................






GONE??
Waiting for the rest of your tr! PATIENTLY as I can - your writing is just incredible! And sorry to hear about the pink eye, I hope the rest of your family doesn't get it!

Chip

 

[DisneyDoll10/28]

Yeah! Can't wait to continue reading. You have an awesome style.

 

[Joyful19]

Yeah, She's back and ready to entertain us again!

 

[sleepycor]

subscribing to this one.. exciting!

 

[ely3857]

You are such a tease!



Jodie

 

[novdisneydreams]

Woo Hoo! She's Back With More!

 

[MagicMe]

That's it

I'm so excited you're back for another adventure

Missed your writing so hurry up, can't wait for more

PS. sorry about the pink eye. Never fun when the little ones are sick!

 

[cazzie]

I've just read your first trip report from start to finish and it was fantastic, I felt like I was looking through the window watching someone's life, very clever writing.

The only problem now is that I have to wait for the rest.

 

[NAB]

Glad your decided to right the next one right away. Sorry to here about your little ones pink eye though.

Can't wait to hear more

 

[bushdianee]

subbing

 

[TwinkieMama]

During the next few months there were a few changes in the Twinkie household that provide the proper frame of reference for our next Disney trip.

Changes on the Job Front
I graduated in May of ’99 and by that fall I have scored a full time position for my dream company. In fact I get to do exactly what I want because my team is at the very research end of the R&D spectrum. I love my job. I love my company. I love having a salary and awesome benefits (if you have any questions about chocolate, army knives or progressive healthcare…. Just ask the Swiss ). I believe I mentioned that my DH was also working in agricultural research when we met… I don’t think I mentioned that he also had a degree… In business.
In fact he had 2 college degrees… neither of which had any bearing to his job. And he is in a field where you pretty much need a PhD to ever be in charge of anything so job wise he was kind of stuck. So, I, being the wonderful wife I am say
“Hey hon… is there anything you would like to do? Would you like to go back to school… because we could live off of my salary right now and we are planning to have more children someday (remember this is 1999- just me, DH, and DS 5) so now would be a good time”
He says “No thanks, I know I will never be promoted because I don’t have an Ag degree but I am good at what I do, and I get home every day at 5 pm, I have no job related stress. I think I will just be happy with the life I lead.”
Ok. Remember this! 1999- Mrs. Twinkie- lovely new job, Mr. Twinkie happy with his job. Make a note.

Changes at Home
Also during this time we do undergo more costly and bitter legal battle-that ends strangely and suddenly. By the fall of 1999, we have a shared custody agreement whereby DS lives with us except for 2 weekends a month and alternate holidays. His mother has remarried and has a new baby. DS goes to kindergarten.

Strange Changes in DH
Shortly after our return from Florida in 1998, I noticed a distinct change in our mall wandering habits. I have this strange quirk- (I know all y'all are shocked to hear that)... I love to walk after eating a big meal. Sometimes I have to walk. I also love eating in restaurants… so in our early married days we had the habit of about once a month, when DS was at his Grandma’s house, of sharing an early bird special (appy, entrée and dessert for $9.99) at Houlihans. This wasn’t really in the budget either but as I told my DH…. It is cheaper than therapy. So after this extravagant meal I needed to walk… so being as we lived in NC (the always humid all the time state) we tended to walk through the mall… just window shopping. After our trip, the Disney Store, at which we had never browsed, became a must-do. I don’t know exactly when it was but I remember one evening we were both busy in various parts of the store when I looked up to see my DH carefully investigating a rack of Beanie baby sized Disney characters while he was singing under his breath to whatever Lion King song was being piped through the store. I was kind of shocked and then our eyes met. “They must have put something in the water.” He remarked upon catching my gaze.

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Loved your first trip report and am excited to see you are starting another one. Can hardly wait for the next installment.