Oct 3, 2009 Wester Carribean

[dolphingirl47]

Well, I finished round two of FE gifts yesterday. I have them done for everyone who has given me their address. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up. I'm really trying to be "ready" early for this one. It always seems like everytime we go on a trip it's a last minute scramble, and I get so stressed out. The goal this time is to avoid that stress. I mean I booked it over a year and a half out, that should have given me plenty of time, right? I also started looking at excurssions last night and I think I have one picked out, I just have to run it by the family. We are limited to the ones that are for ages 5+ (as Bailey will have just turned 5), and the ones that don't cost an arm and a leg. Since there are 5 of us the cost adds up really fast!
Well, off to get Riley to school. Hope everyone has a great day!
Andrea

What excursion are you considering? I suppose I have to make up my mind soon. When I get back from my upcoming vacation, I have to make my final payment and on June 20th I can make my reservations. As we have the REAS package booked, we can make reservations at 105 days out. I am considering doing a dolphin excursion, but I am not sure if I want to do it at Cozumel (with two facilities to choose from) or at Grand Cayman.

Corinna

 

[dismom73]

Corinna, I am thinking about doing the key west catamaran sail and snorkel. We are limited to the excurssions for ages 5 and up (and there aren't too many) and Ryan refuses to "swim with anything alive and slimy" so that rules out all the stingray excurssions and with 5 of us we would have to mortgage the house to do any of the dolphin ones. You must be getting excited for your cruise! Just think when you come back we will have less than 4 months to go!
Andrea

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am with Ryan on the alive and slimy thing. I have a bit of a phobia where stingrays are concerned. I am not into the watery excursion and hate snorkeling so usually the excursions that I have to choose from are fairly limited. We might be trying to book the Parasailing on Castaway Cay again and hope that it is 3rd time lucky (it got cancelled on our previous two visits to Castaway Cay).

Corinna

 

[dismom73]

I would love to do parasailing on CC, I just don't think it's going to happen this time. That will just give me something to look forward to on our next DC!
Andrea

 

[dismom73]

Just checking in for the day. I've been looking at pirate costumes this morning for Riley and Bailey. Ryan and I don't usually dress up, and I'm not sure if Ashley will this time. But I think I've found some good ones for Riley and Bailey. Does anyone else have their pirate costumes yet? Just curious.
Well, it looks like Ryan will be laying the sod tomorrow and then it's just clean up and we are done! I can't wait to get rid of all the "grime" that comes along with redoing the backyard. It feels like my house hasn't been clean since we started.
Well, I hope everyone has a great day!
Andrea

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

well got my packet at AAA just have to go get it! Not planning any excursions so just will be fun to read!

Andrea--my girls are dressing pirate like too. Got them cute ones at halloween on clearance. Del has a red polo with skulls on it and I don't have anything. Can't wait to see ur backyard photos. Well we thought we were making progress on our mickey flower bed till we went to plant somethings and long behold the workers didn't grind down the stump enough so they came today and finished it up. So now we have clean up again and then maybe finish it up this Sunday. Sydney has alot of dance practice cause the competition team does the opening number every year and they have 2 weeks to learn it! I am hoping next week to have a garage sale to unclutter my house! Then off to goodwill with the rest or maybe I will hold on to the girls fall clothing & have a sale in August before school starts!

Well off to get Sydney, then to get Nelia's meds for her sinus infection(again) and on to dance! At least we will be home by 6pm so I can make dinner and we can eat together. I hate when we dont eat tgether. Alright everyone take care! TTFN

 

[kpflillirpf]

Alright Michelle, you've tired me out! LOL Glad I don't have the busy schedule you have right now. I'm sure it'll pick up over the summer.

Things are the normal busy around here. I need to do cruise stuff and so hopefully that'll happen in the next week or two.

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. My weekend is going to be busy with family visiting and such. Take care! Kristi

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Kristi....OMG u've seen nothing yet! I started my FE's awhile back knowing that I would be busy. Normally Sydney has dance 2-3 days a week 2 hrs each, but now before recital she will be there everyday except 3/4 for the next 3 weeks. Plus she has tennis on Sunday afternoons, Nelia has soccer on Sat mornings, they start golf June 12th which will be every friday and Sydney gets 2 weeks off after recital(June 5th) and then it's back in the studio for them. Normal classes don't start till mid-sept but comp dancers have class all summer too---working on techniques! It will be a busy summer for us.

I have a few more kids things to make but I am prolly waiting till July when people stop cancelling and I can be sure when I make them!

Ok well I am glad everyone is well....keep in touch!

 

[disneymeister]

Alright alright now......WHERE IS MY PACKET!!!???!!!??? Ok well I guess I will wait on my readin material. Although I have a bit of news. Have any of you read the Passporter's book on Disney cruise line. Well their 10th anniv edition just came out and I got a free copy...because I was quoted in it. Pg 106. Woohoo LOL I just had sent them my tip on how I make the girls bags from Mickey and yadda yadda and they asked me to sign a release for them to include it in their book....Hey anything Disney I am up for! Ok so I do have that for reading material but since I have read the last one I am sure not much has been added. i guess I will just start reading though!

Well off to shut my eyes for a few while Nelia fell asleep....cold is kicking her butt now!

I read through it on a long car trip a few weeks ago! I saw your name in there and wondered....now I know!!

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Oh celebrity life...LMAO

 

[dismom73]

I hope everyone is having a good weekend....
The yard is done! It looks sooo nice. When Ashley gets home I will have her post some pictures.
Corinna, I hope you guys have fun on your cruise! Give us details when you get back.
Well, I'm off to start the "clean up" process. The downstairs floor has gotten so grimy from doing the backyard it needs a really good scrub, good times.

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Ok...Hi all! Been very busy here. This week I have been pricing all my garage sale stuff. Gonna have a sake Thurs and Friday I think depending on the weather. I am hopeing to send away for the girls passports in the next month or 2. I figure I need to send for it by July 5th cause that means I am 90 days out. Though I have been debating with myself over getting them. Del and I have em but oh the costs for the girls. Well we will see!

Andrea- can't wait to see your pics of the backyard.

Today we are going to the Memorial Day parade then to a friends for a cookout! Then home to clean a bit. We also have to haul away more mulch so we can try and get the Mickey ears done!

 

[kpflillirpf]

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! Ours was busy (as I'm sure everyone else's was) with family over on Sunday afternoon and friends over on Monday. The highlight of the weekend (hear the dripping sarcasim) was when our hard drive crashed yesterday. UGH! The good thing is we still have a warranty til 2010 with Dell so they're going to send someone out in the next day or two to replace the hard drive and we will take the old one to Richard's work computer guy to have him pull whatever he can off the old one. Definitely not a fun thing.

We are sending in for a name change for Katelin's Social Security card on Thursday (Richard's taking it in) and then once we have that we're sending in her passport info. For her and the fact that she's adopted, if we didn't do that we'd have to carry with us a complete original set of adoption documents, the name change document and the US Certificate of Citizenship document. Too many papers to carry on a ship. Makes more sense for us to pay the fee to get her a US passport.

I feel like I'm so very far behind in all the cruise stuff I need to do. And, to top it off, it's looking more and more like my dress (that I can't return) won't be able to be tailored. Which means I've spent money for something that I can't wear. Not a happy thing. Sooooo, it looks like I'll be back to looking for a dress. Wish me luck!

Well, back to work I go. Yipeee (again the sarcasim). Have a great day everyone (this is said without the sarcasim)

 

[dismom73]

Well, I thought I would post some pictures of the much talked about backyard project. So here they are...

And here is one of my Disney lanterns I got on clearance..

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Good Morning All!!

Andrea-- nice job on the backyard. Tell Ryan all his hardwork has paid off. Our backyard can surely use the work.

Well I am excited! Our flight for Thurs got changed. We were flying in thurs night, that flight got changed and we are now flying in Thurs morning. We leave at 10am and get into Orlando around 12:37. We may actually run into Robin at the airport. So since we have most of thurs to burn, we are gonna have Disney come get us and stay at Pop century and hang at downtown disney & swim on thursday. Then Friday get our rental car from hertz(because they will give us an extra driver for free and car seat free--AAA) and go to the port hotel for friday night! I am getting sooo excited for vacation!

I am still debating whether to get the girls passports....it's just a lot of money for one cruise! Well I am going to get the girls to school, then off to get my SIL and have our sale tomorrow! Pray the rain is done by 9am!! TTFN

 

[dismom73]

Hey Michelle, congrats on the plans. Sounds like things are starting to come together for everyone. I thought about doing something similar, but since there's 5 of us we would have to get two rooms ($$$). With magical express it's impossible to "sneak" anyone into the rooms. If we come in Thurs night we will stay at the Hyatt and then get our rental car Friday morning and maybe then we can head to Downtown Disney for a couple of hours. We might just head straight for the port though, who knows. It will depend on what everyone else wants to do. It is starting to feel closer though with all of our plans coming together.

 

[disneydiva16]

Hello All!!!

Andrea your back yard looks amazing!!! Wish mine looked like that! I am not much of a green thumb, so plantings and pavers are not my forte. Also I did some "digging" for you and the value resort All Star Music has family rooms where a family of 5 can stay. This is the only value resort doing the "family of 5" rooms. They are looking to expand to other value resorts cuz it is going over so well there. I just thought I would let you know

Michelle We are doing downtown Disney that first day also, so I will be looking for you at the airport. My flight better get in on time!!!! I didnt know you were going to stay at Pop Century...hmmm perhaps I will see what it costs to stay there

Cant wait for this cruise!!

 

[kpflillirpf]

Love the backyard Andrea! It's beautiful!!!!

Hope all is well with everyone! I'm sitting here at work wishing I could go home. Still got an hour and a half left. UGH. Take care all!

Kristi

 

[the great cornholeo]

Andrea the yard looks great. I got your msg today and left you one in return..... okay I'm ready to go on vacation, now I just need plane tickets, and passports....oh yeah and some spending money.

I'll get there slowly but surely.

 

[dismom73]

Trust me, if need be, it can be done with little to no spending money. Our first disney cruise we booked it 6 weeks before we went, and we had NO spending money and we still had the time of our lives!!! Auntie Andrea will get Jason a smoothie (well I guess technically uncle Ryan will pay for it ).