NMAmy's Trip Report with no catchy title--Last installment FINALLY posted - 4/12/09

[Hedy]

For some reason the "don't pick up a hitchhiker while at the drive in" made me LOL.
Yoda is creepy. That goodness the boys didn't want him when I was there.
How is Cait fairing, with april 1 coming up?

 

[Maleficent13]

*Sorry for the momentary hijack, but...

HUCIFER! I haven't seen you in forevah! Your peanut is just adorable.

End of hijack*

Now...that is by far the oddest piece of WDW merchandise I have ever seen and I. Want. One! After your comment about how much it cost though, I am scared to ask.

Poor Cait...she does look just miserable. I'm glad she rallied, though.

5:20am ME!! Last time I was there I had an 8am ME and I thought THAT was early.

*Another hijack...um...MM...who is Poodle, and what have you done with Mickey? Not that Poodle isn't adorable...I feel so out of the loop. *

 

[NMAmy]

For some reason the "don't pick up a hitchhiker while at the drive in" made me LOL.
Yoda is creepy. That goodness the boys didn't want him when I was there.
How is Cait fairing, with april 1 coming up?

Yes, Yoda is creepy. And yet he looks hilarious in photos. Cait's doing great--she just finished spring break, she got all 5's on her senior project (which is the highest grade you can get), and she told me the yearbook is done so no more editing for that class. I asked her what she does during her yearbook class now and she told me they're planning for prom. Senioritis.

*Sorry for the momentary hijack, but...

HUCIFER! I haven't seen you in forevah! Your peanut is just adorable.

End of hijack*

Hijack away--I'm so tickled to see her, too.

Now...that is by far the oddest piece of WDW merchandise I have ever seen and I. Want. One! After your comment about how much it cost though, I am scared to ask.

It was $52. I'd gotten the girls each a t-shirt at that design your own place in DTD. Caitlin had wanted a sweatshirt, as well. In fact, I think what changed her mind was that, independently of each other, she and I had picked out the same Boardwalk sweatshirt. I told her we could dress alike--mommy/daughter sweatshirts! So she asked if she could get the Yoda instead.

Poor Cait...she does look just miserable. I'm glad she rallied, though.

5:20am ME!! Last time I was there I had an 8am ME and I thought THAT was early.

*Another hijack...um...MM...who is Poodle, and what have you done with Mickey? Not that Poodle isn't adorable...I feel so out of the loop. *

I'm usually awake at 5:20 (umm...well, it's 5:33 right now) but I'm not really dressed and ready to fly off somewhere. It was early, all righty.

I'll let MM tell you about Poodle. I know you'll find it hard to believe that I was teasing her about something.

And you are out of the loop--we miss you, pal!

 

[AussieAngel]

Waaaah, creepy hitch-hikers!!! I'm glad he didn't hang around too long!

Poor Cait - she looks exhausted and miserable. I'm glad she felt a bit better during lunch though - it was probably that amazingly powerful air-conditioning they have at Sci-Fi!!

That Yoga back-pack freaks me out!! He looks so life-like!! I don't think I'd like him clinging to my back all day. Heh.

The Boardwalk at night is so pretty! Except for that evil clown pool, of course.

Booooo, this can't be your last night!! How did that happen!?!

 

[hucifer]

HUCIFER!!! I'm so glad you made it!

I love it when you blabber on, Wendy! If anyone wants to read a truly hilarious and so touching it will make you cry trip report, check out hucifer's last one. It was fabulous and had such a happy ending. Thank you for all the sweet compliments.

We are always sorely lacking in the family picture department. I'm scanning old pictures to make a dvd for Cait's graduation. There are a few of the two of us from years gone by so I'll try to post them on here before I finish up with the story of our real last day--the boring travel day. Going home is always such a bummer.

Oddly, I think it will be easier to stay off-site at WDW if you have a little one. One reason we fork out the dough is because Caitlin and Jen can go anywhere they want and we don't have to drive them. At least you know that when Patrick is 4 and a half, he's not going to be wanting to go to MGM on his own. I know you'll love having a kitchen.

So how much longer until Patrick is 4 and a half? I'm jonesing for another trip report from you!

Amy, I'm so happy to find YOUR trip report. It's also nice to put your adorable face with all your writing. It's funny, I imagine that everyone on the Disboards is a frumpy houselady in her 50s until I see evidence otherwise. I have no idea why I do that. When I see a teen or 20-something tell their age, I'm always taken aback (like they're not allowed on here or something). Go figure.

Actually, staying on-site with a teenager is a great idea...never even thought they could be totally mobile (yet safe) on property. That's a great idea.

Patrick is turning two April 20, so we are planning our first Disney trip with him in September of 2011. If you think Dan can get into plenty of trouble on his own, I can't even imagine the antics him and Patrick will be getting into. Oh boy, I have to be armed with plenty of pen and paper, that's for sure.

 

[hucifer]

Hijack away--I'm so tickled to see her, too.

OMG, you guys are going to make me cry.

Mal, it's always great to see you. And thank you! Patrick is truly our miracle baby.

 

[NMAmy]

Waaaah, creepy hitch-hikers!!! I'm glad he didn't hang around too long!

Poor Cait - she looks exhausted and miserable. I'm glad she felt a bit better during lunch though - it was probably that amazingly powerful air-conditioning they have at Sci-Fi!!

That Yoga back-pack freaks me out!! He looks so life-like!! I don't think I'd like him clinging to my back all day. Heh.

The Boardwalk at night is so pretty! Except for that evil clown pool, of course.

Booooo, this can't be your last night!! How did that happen!?!

I find the backpack a bit freaky, too. Luckily, Caitlin did get to feeling a bit better that day. The trip went much too quickly.

Julie--I need to get back over to your trip report. I've fallen behind. I'm putting together this graduation dvd for Caitlin and it's sucked up all of my time. Do you have any idea how many pictures I've accumulated of that child over the last 18 years? I am making one section that will feature all the faces she's made at me when taking her photo over the years. I'm finally getting my payback!

Amy, I'm so happy to find YOUR trip report. It's also nice to put your adorable face with all your writing. It's funny, I imagine that everyone on the Disboards is a frumpy houselady in her 50s until I see evidence otherwise. I have no idea why I do that. When I see a teen or 20-something tell their age, I'm always taken aback (like they're not allowed on here or something). Go figure. .

Well, Caitlin will tell you that I AM frumpy--all my non-frumpiness comes from her input. For someone who thinks I dress so badly, she sure steals a lot of my clothes! I tend to think everyone here is younger--probably because I hang out with Mal, MickeysMommy, Hedy, Diane, and AussieAngel. They're all young 'uns.

Patrick is turning two April 20, so we are planning our first Disney trip with him in September of 2011. If you think Dan can get into plenty of trouble on his own, I can't even imagine the antics him and Patrick will be getting into. Oh boy, I have to be armed with plenty of pen and paper, that's for sure.

OMG, you guys are going to make me cry.

Mal, it's always great to see you. And thank you! Patrick is truly our miracle baby.

I cannot believe that baby is going to be TWO!! I can't tell you how much I loved hearing your story. And I'm looking forward to Patrick's first trip to WDW.

 

[MickeysMommy]

Yeah, Amy making fun of me...can you imagine???

Mal...WHERE ARE YOU??? I miss you! Poodle IS Mickey. He is also Noodle, Doodle, Mimi and the list goes on!

 

[schoen]

Hey Fellow Lansing girl here. I always read your trip reports, and always enjoy them. It was a tough winter for us wasn't it? My DH and I went to WDW the first week in Feb and it was really cold for us too. It was in the 30's for much of our trip. DH and I didn't even mind though, it was just nice to see the sun and no snow!

I saw your daughter wearing a state shirt, is she thinking of being a spartan? go green! Thanks for the trip, and the knowledge that I am not the only disney nut in the capitol city!

 

[hucifer]

ummm.....hello?

 

[MickeysMommy]

 

[Maleficent13]

ummm.....hello?

What they said!

MM, I miss all y'all too! Work bans the DIS and I don't get any downtime there anyway. It's night and day from my last job, which is a good thing. But I do miss my buds.

 

[NMAmy]

Well, I appear to have ditched my own trip report. Sorry, guys!

Hey Fellow Lansing girl here. I always read your trip reports, and always enjoy them. It was a tough winter for us wasn't it? My DH and I went to WDW the first week in Feb and it was really cold for us too. It was in the 30's for much of our trip. DH and I didn't even mind though, it was just nice to see the sun and no snow!

I saw your daughter wearing a state shirt, is she thinking of being a spartan? go green! Thanks for the trip, and the knowledge that I am not the only disney nut in the capitol city!

Hi, schoen! We did have a terrible winter and then that bizarre April snow on Monday gave me flashbacks. I'd been hoping we were done. I have one daffodil plant that blooms early and I had to go cut all the buds off on Sunday since I knew they'd never make it through the snow.

Caitlin's college plans are still up in the air. She keeps changing her mind. I'm just waiting for the final update.

I'm so glad you posted--it's always nice to hear from a fellow mid-Michigan poster!

ummm.....hello?

I know, I know--I'm so sorry, guys! I've been busy doing stuff for my mom and I had a work friend pass away so we had the funeral stuff and also scanning roughly 7 zillion pictures for a slide show for Caitlin's graduation parties. It's been crazy around here lately!

What they said!

MM, I miss all y'all too! Work bans the DIS and I don't get any downtime there anyway. It's night and day from my last job, which is a good thing. But I do miss my buds.

I REALLY miss you, too, pal! Stupid work.

 

[kid-at-heart]

... Stupid work.

Tehehehehe, I won't tell anyone you said that.

 

[NMAmy]

Tehehehehe, I won't tell anyone you said that.

Well, not MY work--my work, of course, is fulfilling and exciting and fun. Mal's work is stupid.

HEY! I love the picture of Sarah in your signature!

 

[kid-at-heart]

Well, not MY work--my work, of course, is fulfilling and exciting and fun. Mal's work is stupid.

HEY! I love the picture of Sarah in your signature!

I know, I had to tease, it is not often you say something I can tease about. I agree, Mal's work is stupid. How dare they ban dis! Do not they realize that happy employees are productive employees.

Thanks for the Sarah photo comment. She is coming in with me tomorrow to avoid going to the doctor with Grandma. Do you have any pencils to sharpen?

 

[NMAmy]

Okay, guys, I think I've been dragging this out because I didn't want it to end. Our last day was just a travel day and thus, pretty boring, so I'm going to add a few pictures from Caitlin's graduation project.

Sat, 2/28

We were catching the Magical Express at 5:15 am. That's IN THE MORNING, folks! I mean, I'm an early bird but come on. I did manage to roust the girls out of bed and it turned out the only thing we forgot was Caitlin's pillow. I got a call from the Boardwalk a few days later and, bless their hearts, they spent TWENTY-FOUR DOLLARS to express mail it to me.

So, we were sadly waiting outside the Boardwalk for the Magical Express. The only upside of leaving so early is that we did not have to watch the happy, excited guests who were just arriving at the hotel nor did we have to watch happy, excited guests on their way to a park. It was dark and we were the only ones out there. The bus arrived right on time and I sadly watched the little video while Caitlin napped. We weren't able to check our luggage at the resort because we were leaving so early so we had to schlep it all with us. I was disappointed not to be able to take advantage of that.

I was surprised--despite the long lines, the Delta/NW line went really quickly. We got the girls checked it. We got some breakfast at McDonald’s and the girls headed off to security. Caitlin was irritated that it was only 6:20 and their flight didn’t leave until 8:30. At least I could blame getting there early on the ME. I didn’t get to pick the time. Although because, according to Caitlin, I am usually "insanely early," I'd have probably gotten us there at the same time. I was really sad to see my baby go.

Alex and I checked our luggage at 7;15 and hit the bookstore. It only took a few minutes to go through security despite the long line. I like the way they’ve added more lanes but some people think they’re experienced flyers but they’re really not. If you have small kids, you need to go in the family line. Trust me on this, folks. You may travel a lot but just because of their age and the fact that they need help, little kids are not really old enough to be "experienced travellers." I think a good rule of thumb is, if you can't tie your own shoes--you need to go in the family line.

Cait's flight left right on time so I thought we were out of the woods and I didn't need to worry about her anymore. The girls were connecting in Atlanta. As we were getting ready to board, Cait called and told me they were still on the runway. They ended up missing their connection but managed to get a flight out at 4:55, thank goodness. I was very proud of her for figuring out what to do all on her own. Sadly, she is all grown up now.

So, here's my blast from the past--pictures from Disneyland/WDW trips from days gone by.

Here's a bad picture of me but a cute one of Caitie:

And this isn't a WDW picture but she's just so darned cute. This is the beginning of her Pink Power Ranger infatuation.

So, that's it--thanks so much everyone for reading along! I really appreciate it!

 

[Hedy]

What cute old pictures!

 

[Maleficent13]

Awwwww. I love the pictures! What cuties you all are, then and now.

 

[AussieAngel]

Nooooooo, that can't be the end!! Can't you just make up a few more chapters and pretend you were there!? Heheheee! What will I read now!?

I'm glad your flight out seemed relatively painless and easy enough! Phew! It seemed like a nice and smooth end to your great trip.

Those photos are seriously cute!! Cait has such a great big smile - then and now! Lovely! That Power Ranger photo made me, "Awww!" out loud. Conan asked what I was looking at, so I showed him and he just raised his eyebrows at me. Boys just don't get it, do they!?

Thank you Amy, for sharing your fantastic trip with us! You have such a fun writing style and I've loved reading along! Thank youuuuuuu!!!!!