jsmla
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2001
- Messages
- 4,498
December 26, 2004
Dear Fairy Godmother,
I need a vacation from happily ever after. The holidays have done me in. It's sleeting outside and Prince Charming is gearing up for a week of non-stop football.
I want to leave it all behind: the cold, the drippy gray skies, the stress of two teenagers dealing with exams and hormones and the depressing detrius of Christmas past. I need a vacation from being 44 years old, from being a mother, a daughter-in- law and the chief cook and bottle-washer at the castle. Not long after we were married Prince Charming and I took a trip to Disneyworld (just the Magic Kingdom back then, we've been married a looong time). I've been looking at the old photos and I want to go back I want to revisit the 1980 me . The college me. The intelligent me. The me with no worries and no responsibilities. While we're at it, Fairy Godmother, I'd like my 19 year old body back as well. Please? Pretty please? Okay, okay I realize there are limits to what even pixie dust can do. I'll settle for a second honeymoon with my hubby. A second honeymoon to Disneyworld.
Wishingly yours,
Cinderella (aka Jennifer)
Unfortunately I have no fairy godmother, no magic wand and no bippidy boppidy boo even. I have reality and (excuse my language here) reality can really suck. Take a look.
MONEY
Fantasyland: I win the lottery, DH Scott quits work, we pay off all the bills and can still afford a week at the Grand Floridian.
Realityland: I give up all rights to any birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas or anniversay presents. I also decide that we can live with our old carpet for yet another year and that the rust on the refrigerator door doesn't look all that bad. I'll make Bank of America happy and not pay off the Christmas bills just yet. I'll pay for the trip in little drips and drops. I started plotting, err sorry, I meant planning, way back in July. Whenever I had a little extra money I bought a ticket, ordered a food voucher or paid down the hotel bill.
KIDS
Fantasyland: DS Sam (20) has an epiphany, realizes college scholarships are conditional, decides to close the poker party shack and dedicates his life to the pursuit of academic excellence. DD Elizabeth (almost 17) decides to spend the week in a convent.
Realityland: BIG fight over no-parties-or-boyfriends-while-I'm-gone-and-I-mean-it policy. Extravagant threats and big bribes used to entice them into responsible and mature behavior. Bigger bribes to get them to tattle on each other. (They are happy to tattle for free but a little extra cash never hurts.)
FATHER-IN-LAW (Alzheimer's patient, early stages. Lives with Sam next door to us. Liz will live there too for the duration.)
Fantasyland: We can afford a private sitter. See MONEY fantasy above.
Realityland: More bribes to get Sam and Lizzie to help out. Sam will be out of school for the duration of our trip and Lizzie will be home for half of it. A healthy dose of guilt is thrown in along with the payola.
DH SCOTT (aka Prince Charming)
Fantasyland: Scott does not want to go skiiing on his second honeymoon. Noooooo, Scott wants to spend a magical week at WDW with his wife who happens to be the sexiest, most fascinating woman in the world.
Realityland: Scott does not like Disneyworld very much. Scott suffers from motion sickness. Scott wants to spend his time skiing and watching football on TV. There is no solution to this. Buy lots of beer and Bonine and make sure hotel gets ESPN. (I got the Prince to agree to the trip last fall. Cleaned up the castle real nice, got in beer, fixed a large dinner and caught him off-guard during a critical moment in the LSU-Bama game. )
Nothing is ever perfect, is it? Still I know I'm lucky. I'm lucky to be able to afford WDW at all. I'm lucky to have two healthy, intelligent and reasonably sane kids. Most of all I'm lucky to still have a loving Prince Charming at my side even though his Cinderella is middle-aged, 30 lbs heavier and has had her brain has turned into Jello from spending most of her time with kids and FIL.
Anyhoo, the best second honeymoon ever is all planned, reserved, priority seated and paid for (mostly). We're staying five nights at POFQ and two at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Studios. We have tickets and food vouchers. Scott's managed to fix things at work so that he can miss a week. His assistant manager's girlfriend is in re-hab and won't need bailing out of jail for at least a month.
Kids and FIL are squared away. The fridge is stocked. Christmas is over and the car is packed. We even have clean underwear. 
And it only took me six months.
Jennifer
Dear Fairy Godmother,
I need a vacation from happily ever after. The holidays have done me in. It's sleeting outside and Prince Charming is gearing up for a week of non-stop football.
I want to leave it all behind: the cold, the drippy gray skies, the stress of two teenagers dealing with exams and hormones and the depressing detrius of Christmas past. I need a vacation from being 44 years old, from being a mother, a daughter-in- law and the chief cook and bottle-washer at the castle. Not long after we were married Prince Charming and I took a trip to Disneyworld (just the Magic Kingdom back then, we've been married a looong time). I've been looking at the old photos and I want to go back I want to revisit the 1980 me . The college me. The intelligent me. The me with no worries and no responsibilities. While we're at it, Fairy Godmother, I'd like my 19 year old body back as well. Please? Pretty please? Okay, okay I realize there are limits to what even pixie dust can do. I'll settle for a second honeymoon with my hubby. A second honeymoon to Disneyworld.Wishingly yours,
Cinderella (aka Jennifer)
Unfortunately I have no fairy godmother, no magic wand and no bippidy boppidy boo even. I have reality and (excuse my language here) reality can really suck. Take a look.
MONEY
Fantasyland: I win the lottery, DH Scott quits work, we pay off all the bills and can still afford a week at the Grand Floridian.
Realityland: I give up all rights to any birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas or anniversay presents. I also decide that we can live with our old carpet for yet another year and that the rust on the refrigerator door doesn't look all that bad. I'll make Bank of America happy and not pay off the Christmas bills just yet. I'll pay for the trip in little drips and drops. I started plotting, err sorry, I meant planning, way back in July. Whenever I had a little extra money I bought a ticket, ordered a food voucher or paid down the hotel bill.
KIDS
Fantasyland: DS Sam (20) has an epiphany, realizes college scholarships are conditional, decides to close the poker party shack and dedicates his life to the pursuit of academic excellence. DD Elizabeth (almost 17) decides to spend the week in a convent.
Realityland: BIG fight over no-parties-or-boyfriends-while-I'm-gone-and-I-mean-it policy. Extravagant threats and big bribes used to entice them into responsible and mature behavior. Bigger bribes to get them to tattle on each other. (They are happy to tattle for free but a little extra cash never hurts.)
FATHER-IN-LAW (Alzheimer's patient, early stages. Lives with Sam next door to us. Liz will live there too for the duration.)
Fantasyland: We can afford a private sitter. See MONEY fantasy above.
Realityland: More bribes to get Sam and Lizzie to help out. Sam will be out of school for the duration of our trip and Lizzie will be home for half of it. A healthy dose of guilt is thrown in along with the payola.
DH SCOTT (aka Prince Charming)
Fantasyland: Scott does not want to go skiiing on his second honeymoon. Noooooo, Scott wants to spend a magical week at WDW with his wife who happens to be the sexiest, most fascinating woman in the world.
Realityland: Scott does not like Disneyworld very much. Scott suffers from motion sickness. Scott wants to spend his time skiing and watching football on TV. There is no solution to this. Buy lots of beer and Bonine and make sure hotel gets ESPN. (I got the Prince to agree to the trip last fall. Cleaned up the castle real nice, got in beer, fixed a large dinner and caught him off-guard during a critical moment in the LSU-Bama game. )
Nothing is ever perfect, is it? Still I know I'm lucky. I'm lucky to be able to afford WDW at all. I'm lucky to have two healthy, intelligent and reasonably sane kids. Most of all I'm lucky to still have a loving Prince Charming at my side even though his Cinderella is middle-aged, 30 lbs heavier and has had her brain has turned into Jello from spending most of her time with kids and FIL.
Anyhoo, the best second honeymoon ever is all planned, reserved, priority seated and paid for (mostly). We're staying five nights at POFQ and two at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Studios. We have tickets and food vouchers. Scott's managed to fix things at work so that he can miss a week. His assistant manager's girlfriend is in re-hab and won't need bailing out of jail for at least a month.
Kids and FIL are squared away. The fridge is stocked. Christmas is over and the car is packed. We even have clean underwear. And it only took me six months.Jennifer
